Scars To Be Healed
by mdrm812
Summary: Sakura was abandoned by her two teammates. Naruto disapears after his training with Jiraya at the age of 16. Sasuke leaves to Orochimaru at the age of 13. Suddenly, both appear five years later. Can Sakura handle the scar her teammates left her?
1. Their Beginning

**Normal POV **

"Go right on in. She's waiting,"

A pale long finger reached for the brass knob on the door and twisted it open. A girl with long pink hair carried a bag full of scrolls into a large round office. Holding the bag in front of her, she walked up to the desk in the center of the room and set them down. Ignoring whoever was in the room with her, she smiled at the golden haired lady sitting in the chair in front of her.

"Tsunade-sama, I brought to the scrolls you wanted," said Haruno Sakura. She brushed the dust on her arms to the floor and fixed her red shirt and white skirt. Her black spandex under her skirt was riding up, so she quickly fixed them as well. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and flexed her sore hands. Her long porcelain fingers twitched as they tried to relieve themselves of the strenuous weight they had just carried ten blocks.

The golden-haired lady sitting in the chair smiled at Sakura and graciously waved her arms to a chair beside the desk. "Sit, Sakura. You look tired,"

Sakura waved her arms and insisted, "Oh, no! I have to go back to the hospital to re-organize the papers that were destroyed by a rampaging patient, remember?"

"Ah yes…" reminisced Tsunade. "That patient…quite the interesting one, wasn't he?"

"Yes-,"

"But we have more important things to discuss. Turn around Sakura and look around my office,"

Sakura's eye brows rose slightly.

Sakura noticed she hadn't even looked around her office so she quickly followed orders from her sensei. Standing next to her was a tall tan young man. He was at least a head taller than her and wore an orange and black jumpsuit. He wore his black hitai proudly on his forehead and stood with his arms in his pockets. Sakura looked up to see a head of spiky blonde hair, slightly growing past his ears.

It was a person she could never forget.

"Naruto…" breathed Sakura.

He looked down and beamed his blue wide eyes at her green eyes. She could see her reflection in his eyes and by the looks of it, she looked terrified.

He tugged his hands out of his pockets and grabbed her small shoulders. "Sakura-chan…it's been a while,"

Sakura sharply breathed in a quick gasp of air as she noticed the deepness of Naruto's voice. It was no longer the squeaky raspy voice she remembered from her teenage years. It was mature, deep and rough. It was as if his voice box had undergone an intense sun tanning, becoming rough and dark.

She dropped her arms to her sides as if they were 100 pound weights and quickly looked at the ground, releasing herself from the trance that Naruto had put her in. Sakura took a sharp step backwards, surprising Naruto. "Sakura-chan?"

Sakura could not make eye-contact with her old teammate. Memories that were locked away behind her mind quickly resurfaced. She whispered, "What's going on?"

Tsunade wrapped her arms around her waist and commanded, "Keep looking around, Sakura. Naruto isn't the only surprise in store for you today,"

Sakura raised her head slowly and carefully turned around. She refused to meet Naruto's anxious eyes as she looked around because she knew she would break if she saw those blue saucers again.

She didn't know that the other person that was in the room could easily break her as well.

She couldn't even say his name.

The man that commanded her into utter silence smirked and said in a bold voice, "Sakura,"

Sakura couldn't do anything. She didn't know what to say. Still staring at the raven-haired man she stuttered frantically, "Ts-Tsunade-sama, I'm going to the hospital now. If you need me, just ring me up,"

She tried walking, but it felt like her feet were weighed down by concrete blocks. She picked up her empty bag slowly without making eye contact with anybody. Slinging it across her narrow shoulders, she picked up her heavy feet and shuffled out quietly.

After she exited the room, her shaking hands closed the door behind her silently. Sakura couldn't control herself anymore. She sprinted down the empty hallways, right past Shizune, the women who let her in the room that contained her old teammates. Zooming past Shizune, she accidently knocked her papers out of her hand. "Sorry, Shizune." Sakura looked down at the floor, embarrassed. "I didn't mean to…I…just sorry,"

Embarrassed at her stupid apology towards Shizune, she continued to sprint past the villagers and the stores. Sakura stopped, or couldn't stop, when she reached the hospital door. Quickly shaking her head and smacking her head a couple times, she walked in with a fake smile on her face. Acknowledging the nurses around her she walked calmly toward the elevators. Pressing the "up" button, she waited for the doors to open.

She stepped into the elevators and pressed the very top floor number. Elevator music came on and it calmed her down a bit.

The memory of her two teammates in the Hokage's room came back to her thoughts.

_Why am I so useless? That was so embarrassing. _

She shook her head again.

_I haven't seen them in five years. Why wouldn't I be a bit freaked? _

She kicked herself as she walked toward her office.

_Because they left me. _

She paused in front of her door. Her hands shook as reality hit her straight in the face.

_They're really back. _

Opening her door, she stalked toward her desk, placed her empty bag onto the floor, and slumped into her comfy black leather chair. Behind her head was a window wall, where the villagers can see her and she can see them. She swiveled the chair so she could face the glass wall.

It was as if they, the villagers, could see right through her. They could all see her behind those fake smiles and sparkling eyes.

They all knew that she died inside when they left, five years ago.

They all knew that those fake smiles contained frowns and disappointed smirks.

Those viridian eyes, they sparkled, but they all knew that those eyes they loved so much were dead, a dull green never to sparkle again.

The question was, how come they all knew the real Sakura, but she couldn't even realize those small things about herself?

Sakura shook her head again. Lifting the corner of her mouth slightly, she noticed how many times she has been doing that today.

Turning her body away from the window, she picked up her large stack of papers and set them in front of her. Arranging them into three smaller stacks, she picked up an elastic band and put her long hair into a messy bun. She stretched her arms in front of her and cracked her neck slightly.

Time to go to work.

**Back in the Hokage's office**

No one said a word. Not even Naruto, surprisingly.

He probably didn't know what to say.

Tsunade looked back and forth between the two men in front of her and clapped her hands to end the awkward silence that Sakura left behind. "Ok! So, what should your punishments be?" She crossed her arms and stood. Walking between the two boys and stood with her hands on her hips.

"You two are missing-nin. Law states that death is the immediate punishment." Tsunade cracked her knuckles and stepped towards Sasuke. "Should I kill you where you stand?"

Naruto raised his hands in defence and shook them violently. He tried to say something, but stuttered out mumbo-jumbo that no one could understand.

"Naruto, speak clearly." Tsunade turned away from the two boys and walked back to her desk. Sitting in her comfortable chair, she put her hands to her chin. Cracking her neck, she looked at both of the boys.

"So, I assume you two don't want to die today."

Naruto stuttered, "Ye-ye-yes! Of course not, baa-chan!" He raised his large hand and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "We both want to come back, and stay!" Cracking a small at the stoic boy next to him, he grabbed Sasuke's shoulder and gripped it tightly. "Together,"

Tsunade looked at the two boys, no…two men, in front of her. She remembered them both when she gave out missions to them. So small and un-muscular.

They looked like squirts back then. _My, has the time gone by. _

Naruto grew in height and muscle mass. His whiskers had become less defined and his facial shape had become more prominent. Less round and more masculine.

Naruto had grown to become very handsome, like his father.

Tsunade looked at Sasuke. She always knew he was the handsome one in Konoha 9.

Naruto was taller than Sasuke now by at least a couple inches. Sasuke's black hair shined in the light above him. His outfit consisted of a cream colored tunic and dark navy pants. The tunic was sleeveless, so his muscular lean arms were exposed to the cold AC running in the room. He was still as pale as ever, eyes empty and distant. His katana was wrapped in a black cloth running around his waist.

Naruto was more muscular than Sasuke, but Sasuke had a leaner, defined look than Naruto did.

Tsunade smiled as she noticed the differences physically than when they were kids.

She grabbed two blank scrolls from her desk and quickly wrote down some things. She slapped her hands together as she sealed them with her blood. Summoning a hawk, she sent the scrolls toward the hospital, knowing that Sakura would open them.

The scrolls were meant for her eyes only.

She looked up at the boys and boomed, "Your punishment is probation for a year. No ninja things, _nothing_. Only D- ranked missions, and only when I tell you. You are going to be watched 24/7," she paused and smirked slightly. "Oh, and you both are going to live with a teammate of yours. I can't have to running around the village un-supervised."

Naruto looked up, surprised at the statement that Tsunade just said. "We're going to be living with Sakura?"

Tsunade bit her lip, trying not to laugh. Smiling, she grabbed Naruto's collar and shook him. "No, of course not. Sakura wouldn't even allow me to say those words in a sentence together,"

She let go of Naruto's collar and smoothed his clothes out. "You are going to be living with Kakashi,"

Sasuke's eyes widened and he scoffed, "I'm afraid that I can't do that," He crossed his arms and looked away from the two people standing in front of him. "I'd rather live with Sakura,"

Naruto shook his head violently, agreeing with every word that Sasuke said.

"And why not, Uchiha-brat?"

"Because our old sensei is a pervet," stated Sasuke. Naruto kept nodding repeatedly towards Tsunade and grinned.

Naruto beamed, "I want to live with Sakura-chan!" He scratched his head and look at Sasuke. "I don't think we've ever been to her house, even when we were kids, right Sasuke?"

"Aa," answered Sasuke.

Tsunade put her hands into her head and smoothed out the wrinkles that were appearing on her forehead.

Naruto and Sasuke, or just Naruto, were blabbering about where they were going to stay, being missing-nin and all while Tsunade noticed how old she was getting. Smoothing out her wrinkles, she began to reminisce her past.

She was alone, unlike the two boys in front of her.

Jiraya was gone, and so was Orochimaru. Her only two teammates, her precious people. Don and her younger brother were also dead.

She noticed how alone she _really_ was.

Depressing.

_Enough about me. _

The boys were still talking in front of her while she was thinking. Suddenly, she clapped her hands to get their attention. "Well, I believe that isn't my decision. It would be Sakura's," Tsunade rubbed her hands and clasped the fingers together. "Sakura isn't so, let's say, _open_ anymore. You'll have to _really_ convince her to let you stay at her place,"

Naruto laughed and waved his hands. "That's not a problem! Sakura-chan will just fall for my good looks and let me in,"

A quick pale hand smacked Naruto behind the head and muttered, "Dobe,"

Chuckling, Tsunade checked her watch. A smirk was imprinted on her face as she wrote down something on a notepad. "Here is the address to Sakura's home," said Tsunade as she handed the pink piece of paper to Sasuke. She ripped off another piece of paper and quickly scribbled something down. Passing the paper to Naruto, she chimed with a smile, "Here are the directions to the Konoha Hospital. Her shift should be ending in fifteen minutes, so I would hurry."

Naruto snatched the paper out of her hand and grabbed Sasuke's collar. Sasuke grunted as Naruto pulled him out of the office. "Thanks baa-chan!" called Naruto as Sasuke struggled under his iron grip.

Tsunade shook her head in amusment and sighed, "Boys will be boys." She looked down at the paperwork on her table. "Oh, Sakura…I hope your prepared for this," she paused, "You're going to have to be."

**Back at the hospital**

A hawk appeared at her window sill and gently pecked the window. The pink haired maiden turned around from her massive pile of papers and opened the window. The hawk greeted her with a slight dip of its head and dropped two scrolls in her hand. Sakura placed the scrolls on her already crowded table. Opening her drawer, she picked up a piece of dried fish and gave it to the hawk as an award. The hawk gracefully accepted the reward and flew away.

Sakura sat back down in her chair and picked up the two scrolls. They were nothing intricate, no special color or design to indicate its importance. She sighed and picked up a kunai to slice the red seal off the scrolls.

As soon as she placed the kunai to the red seal, she paused. This was no ordinary seal. This seal was the only seal Tsunade-sama used to communicate with Sakura via scrolls.

The seals were red, indicating that blood was involved to seal these scrolls.

Sakura dropped the kunai back into her pouch and calmly did a few foreign hand signs. She bit her thumb, not hard, but enough to draw a little bit of blood. She spread the blood around her thumb and pressed her thumb on the seal. Her fingerprint was a kind of key, it unlocked the seal and both scrolls opened. Quickly drying off the excess blood, she read the first scroll.

It was Naruto's shinobi records.

It showed every mission, every detail of Naruto's life. His parents, his past, his status…everything.

The next scroll was Sasuke's records.

The same information appeared.

Sakura leaned back in her chair. With her brows furrowed, she began to wonder. Why was Tsunade sending her the records of Naruto and Sasuke?

Sakura wasn't the least bit interested in her ex-teammates lives.

They didn't even know hers. She wondered, why even bother caring? They didn't care about hers?

_What an immature thought, Sakura._

Re-sealing the informative scrolls, she placed them in a safe behind her bookcase. Sakura paused as she put the scrolls inside the iron cage. Lost in thought, she pondered even more. Was it possible that Tsunade sent Sakura these records to keep them safe from the hands of the elders? Why would Tsunade give such a large responsibility to her? Was she ready to burden such a responsibility? Tsunade- sama knows how important Naruto and Sasuke are to this village. She knows how they are in danger from the elders. Why not protect the imperative information herself? Why give it to her inferior student, Haruno Sakura?

_She must have a good reason. Give it time._

Sakura sighed, exasperated about the fact that her old teammates were back and in deeper trouble than they were before.

No, she wasn't exasperated. She was frightened. Scared. _Terrified_.

How could she face them when a hour ago she walked out on them. She left them in the Hokage's room.

_But they did that first, didn't they? They walked out on me first. Both of those idiots deserved it. _

Sakura shook her head, feeling her pink locks brush against her cheeks.

_Wow, I've been doing that a lot today. _

She sat down on the couch in the corner of her office. Laying her head on the back of the couch, she closed her eyes.

Sakura wanted a well -deserved rest. This day was too hectic for her.

Little did she know that her life was about to become a little bit more hectic with the arrival of her two old teammates about to knock on her office door.

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**Hey guys! **

**If you guys enjoyed my new fanfic, please review and give me some comments! I'll really appreciate it. **

**Also, I just wanted to say the italic sentences between each paragraph, for those who didn't know, were little thought bubbles. Sorry if I got anybody confused. **

**I wanted this fanfic to be a little bit more mature and elaborated. I hope it didn't confuse anyone at all…^^. **

**Again, any comments or reviews would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading my new fanfic (sorry about the sudden cancelation of my first story…)! **

**OH WAIT! BEFORE YOU LEAVE! **

**I don't know what to title this fanfic. All the names I come up with kind of suck. Ha! **

**Any suggestions would also be appreciated! Thanks for all your help! **

**-mdrm812- **


	2. What's Going To Happen Now?

**Sasuke's POV**

Naruto and I were standing in front Sakura's office door. The thick brown wood was the door between us and our old teammate. Naruto raised his hand and clenched it into a fist. About to knock on the door, he paused.

He unclenched his fist and put his arm down. Looking down at the white tile floor, he mumbled, "How can I even look at her?"

I looked at Naruto's blonde head in surprise. What did he mean when he said what he said? Of course he could talk to Sakura, they were best friends. The bigger question was: How could Sakura look at me?

I left her, standing in the cold dead of night…crying. I was supposed to be her protector, her iron hero. Even though she told me most of the time I had a pole stuck up my butt, I protected her. I always did. She was my teammate, how could I not?

But I left her.

So what gave Naruto the right to say "How can I even look at her"? He doesn't.

I clenched my fist and banged it on Sakura's door. Naruto looked up from his depressive state and stared at me with wide eyes. His blue eyes bore into my skull until the door swung open.

Sakura stood there and asked, "What is it?" She stepped aside and waved her arm to motion us to come inside. I stepped inside and Naruto stepped in behind me. Surprisingly, he didn't say a thing. The number one knuckle head, the loud idiot I knew to be my closest friend, didn't say anything. It was as if an invisible piece of tape was slapped onto his mouth, preventing him from saying anything.

She motioned us again to sit on a white couch in the corner of her office. I saw the large window behind her massive pile of paperwork on her desk. On both walls were large bookcases, filled with scrolls and medical books. There was a coat hanger next to her desk and a large desk lamp stood next to it. The neck of the lamp crossed over the desk to give Sakura the light she needed to finish her work.

Grabbing her white medical coat from the coat hanger, she swung it across her shoulders and twisted her arms to put the coat on. She grabbed the stethoscope also hanging from the coat hanger and placed it gently around her neck. It snapped around her pale neck and stuck into place.

She pulled the white doctor coat around her and leaned her body against her desk facing Naruto and I. Sakura undid her hair and let her long pink hair fall across her shoulders. She ran her long fingers through them and asked again. "What is it? Can I help with something?"

I was about to say something until Naruto cut me off. He twisted his thumbs nervously in his lap and requested, "Can we…um…stay at your place?" Naruto looked up from his nervous thumbs. "Or…until our probation is over?"

Sakura looked down at her shoes and scrunched her eyebrows in thought. Naruto looked at me, still nervous, and whispered, "If I die, take care of my ramen,"

Sakura's face showed no emotion as she looked up to meet my eyes. Her green eyes squinted in confusion and distrust. Sakura sneered, "Why should I?"

Her words rang in my mind. It completely blew me away. I got angry and snickered, "Because we're your teammates." My eyes flickered from black to red as I matched her watchful gaze. Astonishingly, she didn't falter. Her once bright green eyes met my red Sharingan without any fear. That made me even angrier. What did she mean why should I?

Then it hit me.

Why should she? Really, why should she even let us be in the same room as her?

No, not us, just me. What right do I have to even stand near her?

We were still staring at each other until Naruto stuttered, "We should talk, Sakura," He looked at me and then looked at Sakura's defensive position. "There are a lot of things to catch up on and I—,"

"No,"

My blabbermouth immediately stopped talking. His mouth twitched slightly and he fell back into the couch, noiseless.

My eyes were still red and still staring at her. "Why not?" I stated.

She crossed her arms in defiance and looked at the wall behind me. Sakura smirked and pushed a lock of her pink hair behind her ear.

I noticed how mature Sakura looked. Her eyes became more feminine, not the wide-eyed girl I knew in my genin days. They were more feline shaped and more prominent. Her face was still pale but was less round and more oval-ish. If one looked very carefully, they could see a little freckle above her red round lips. Sakura's nose was no longer flat but more pointed, again more feline-like. Her side-bangs covered her once large forehead. I saw little wrinkles on her forehead, either from stress or from thinking too much. She grew taller and thinner. Her long legs were crossed as she leaned back on her desk. Her body was curvier and her once flat chest grew. She didn't have a large chest, but not a small one either.

She was beautiful.

Sakura noted that I was looking at her for a while and taunted, "Like what you see?"

I looked back into her eyes and snickered. I tried covering up what I was doing to her just a few seconds ago, but it was a failed attempt. She knew what I was doing.

I was checking her out.

Naruto still didn't look away from his lap, probably because he was embarrassed or just down right terrified of Sakura. He started to grip his pants tightly into a little bunch in his fist. "Please, Sakura-chan!" exclaimed Naruto. He got onto his knees. "I don't want to live with Kakashi-sensei!" He crawled to Sakura's feet and held one of her thin legs. Naruto eyes turned watery and he started to pout. "Pwease?"

Sakura scoffed and struggled to get her leg out of his iron grip. Naruto wouldn't let go. As she tried to walk away, she just dragged Naruto along with her. He was sprawled on the floor as she attempted to limp away. "PLEASE!" cried Naruto. Sakura was getting impatient. She grabbed Naruto by the hair and threw him across the room.

Putting her hands on her hips she yelled, "Why should I? Hm? Give me one good reason, one other than 'we were old teammates'." She emphasized her statement by doing air quotations. Rolling her eyes, she slumped down into her chair. "I'm busy these days, Naruto. Things have changed since you…left."

Her arm gently swung to a plaque above her bookshelf. It was a picture of her holding a certificate reading: Chief Medic. In the picture, Sakura was smiling brightly. Her hair was shorter and she wore her old ninja outfit.

She was Chief Medic?

But something was off, her smile. It was weird, like she was smiling, but she wasn't at the same time. It looked fake, disappointing. Her eyes were blank, as if she was the puppet and someone was controlling her. She looked like a doll.

I glanced at her for a second and spoke, "I thought Tsunade was Chief Medic." Naruto shook his head vigorously in agreement.

Flicking through large stacks of paper on her desk, Sakura retorted, "I became Chief Medic a couple years ago," 

The office room became silent. Naruto was so nervous; he just sat there on the floor. He didn't even bother to stand and fix himself from the previous endeavor he had.

Finally, after five minutes of awkward silence, Naruto stood and walked up to Sakura's desk. Slamming his large hand onto her desk, he boomed, "We're going to stay at your house and that's final!" Naruto's eyes burned with determination as he burrowed his brows in an attempt to look serious.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes.

Get ready to be killed, Naruto.

Sakura slowly lifted her head from the pile of work she had. Her eyebrow twitched uncomfortably and she continued to stare at Naruto. Her mouth made a slight frown and she clicked her tongue. "Whatever," scoffed Sakura. "You both can live with me, but I make the rules and if anyone of you breaks them…" she cracked her knuckles, "I'll make sure you stay in the hospital for a good couple months, got it?"

Naruto gulped down his fear and smiled brightly at Sakura. Swerving around her desk, he grabbed her into a huge bear hug and laughed, "Thanks, Sakura-chan!" Sakura didn't hug him back, but I noticed her eyes flashing dangerously. She raised one finger and poked it into the back of Naruto's neck.

Naruto crumpled to the ground. He groaned, "What did you do? I can't move my body!"

She fixed her coat and sighed, "I paralyzed you from the neck down. Don't hug me like that again."

"You want to un-paralyze me?"

"Nope."

"Why?"

"Because you're an idiot."

Naruto rolled his eyes and sarcastically retorted, "Great reason!" He grunted in frustration because his arms were limp like potato sacks. His legs were positioned in an awkward position, but Naruto couldn't feel them because he was paralyzed.

Sakura sighed again and poked Naruto in the same place she poked him before. He groaned and stretched his whole body. With a slight glare he demanded, "Never do that to me again."

I saw her mouth twitch upward just for a second. She looked at me and commanded, "Come to my house tonight at seven. I assume you received my address from Tsunade?"

I took out the slip of paper Tsunade gave me before and waved it nonchalantly.

"Good," grunted Sakura. "So, if you both don't mind, I have lots of work to do. Please leave."

Naruto and I took our leave, but I paused. I looked behind me and saw Sakura working again, her head buried in mounds of paper. I thought about saying thank you, but I scoffed.

An Uchiha never thanks anyone. That was a fact burned into every Uchiha's mind.

Naruto tugged my arm slightly and motioned me to continue walking. His mouth turned into a grin as the door behind us closed.

He announced, "It's going to be like old times, eh Sasuke-teme?"

I didn't answer because I didn't know how to.

As far as I knew, all of us had changed.

Naruto was still immature and stupid, but he grew. It was obvious. His usual stupid remarks became less prominent and were replaced with wiser statements. His fighting and ninja skills sky-rocketed to surpass mine. It's hard to admit that, but I know it's true.

If I ever fought him head on, I'd probably loose.

Sakura, on the other hand, I don't know how she changed. All I know is that she did.

That was more obvious that Naruto's change.

She couldn't even smile at us, not even at Naruto. I thought her and Naruto were like siblings. They were supposed to be family while I was away…scratch that…gone.

Apparently, because of the recent events between Naruto and she, that family-like relationship fell downwards, but I didn't know why. What did Naruto do to make Sakura hate him as much as she probably hates me?

I'll ask the dobe later.

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**Hey guys! **

**Thanks for reading another chapter of my fanfiction! **

**Please, any reviews would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and thanks for everybody who reviewed the previous chapter! I really enjoyed them. **

**Thanks for all of your support and I would love to hear more things from all of you. **

**-mdrm812- **


	3. Author's Note

Hey guys!

I can't update for maybe the next few days because….

I'M GOING TO SOUTH KOREA!

Yay! I'm sorry and I will re-post as soon as I get back!

Thanks for your understanding!

-mdrm812-


	4. Settle In

**Normal POV**

**Time skip to 7:00 pm **

"Come on in," said Sakura as she waved her arms motioning them to come inside. She closed the door behind them and walked into the small kitchen. The walls around her whole apartment were a light yellow. Many pictures of her family and friends hung on the white walls, all of them framed in a beautiful ornate white border.

Sasuke stuck his hands in his pocket as he followed Sakura to the kitchen. Her kitchen was simple and organized. Sitting down in one of the tables, he stretched his long limbs and grunted. Naruto was looking at the pictures hanging on the walls. His hands were behind his back as he bent over to see one of the pictures that hung right above the white couch.

It was a picture of Sakura's family.

As far as any of the members of Team Seven knew, Sakura had the normal life. She had a wonderful family and an easy life. She didn't come from any prestigious clan, unlike Sasuke. She didn't have any crazy siblings, just one normal older sister. Even now, Naruto's last name was changed from Uzumaki to Namikaze because of his father, the fourth Hokage. It looked as if everyone except for her had some special gift.

Naruto turned his attention from the picture of her family to Sakura who was in the kitchen, boiling some water. He saw Sasuke watching her from the table with cold eyes, analyzing her every move. Naruto walked from the living room to the table where Sasuke was sitting and gently pushed out a chair from under the table. Settling into the chair, he accidently pushed his chair out a little far and knocked over a small vase.

Naruto's eyes widened as he murmured, "Oh, shit." He reached for the vase with his large hands, but as he flung his arm out, the vase disappears mid-air. He stared at the empty air for a second until he looked up. Sakura was holding, no _cuddling_, the vase in her small hands. Her jade eyes were wide as she held the vase to her chest. Naruto's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

She set the vase back on the pedestal Naruto almost knocked over. Her eyes squinted as she positioned the vase exactly the way it was. Turning her attention away from the vase, she glared at Naruto. "Don't _ever_ do that again, ok?" She looked at the vase. "That vase…it's important to me."

Naruto raised his hands to his face and shrugged his shoulders. "Yea, of course. Sorry about that," He started to laugh, but his laughter was interrupted by a large gurgling noise coming from his stomach. It was Sakura's turn to laugh. She held her stomach and laughed and laughed. Tears started to spring from her eyes. "Uh, Sakura-chan…it's not that funny," mumbled Naruto.

"Ah…uh…" sighed Sakura s she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I haven't laughed like that in a long time," She sighed again and walked back in the kitchen, leaving the two boys confused and little bit terrified at her sudden outburst of laughter.

Sakura turned around and put her hands on her hips. She smirked while pointing at Naruto, "I assume you're hungry?" She also pointed at Sasuke, "Are you?"

Naruto bounced up to Sakura and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I want to eat anything you make! You know I love your cooking."

Sakura pinched the bridge between her eyes and shook her head. She twisted her shoulders slightly so Naruto's heavy arm would drop off. Her pink lips twitched upward as she questioned, "You want ramen, don't you?"

Naruto dropped to his knees and cried, "PLEASE SAKURA-CHAN! I HAVEN'T HAD RAMEN IN FIVE YEARS!" He held up his five fingers for emphasis. Pointing at Sasuke with a scathing look, he accused, "THIS TEME WOULDN'T LET ME! PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU!"

"Shut up, baka! Let's get you both settled in before we leave, ok?" Her body twisted around as she walked down the small hallway toward two doors. "Sasuke," she opened one door, "this will be your room. Let me know if any problems occur, ok?" Sasuke grunted in response. Walking further down the hallway, she stopped at another door. Twisting the brass knobs, she looked at Naruto. "This will be your room. Let me know if there are any problems."

Leaving the boys to investigate their rooms, Sasuke and Naruto walked into their rooms. Naruto's room was a little bit small, but cozy. The walls were a nice tan and the furniture pieces were white. There was a small walk-in-closet left of the door and a small table-stand was in the corner of the room. Naruto set his bags down and opened the closet. Multiple blankets and pillows were there for his bed.

After putting his clothes away, he scrambled into Sasuke's room. "Oy, Sasuke-teme!" he called.

He ran in as soon as Sasuke was putting away his clothes. His room was very different than Naruto's. The walls were not tan, but a navy blue. The furniture was black, and unlike Naruto, Sasuke actually had a bed. The bedframe was also black, but the metal-work was very ornate, twisting and turning to create a dream-like look. He had a tall black metal lamp next to his bed and a small table-stand as well.

Sasuke was surprised at Naruto's sudden barge-in, but quickly recovered. He placed the rest of his clothes gently into the closet and sat down on the bed. Naruto jumped onto the bed as well, making Sasuke roll of the bed. "Hey, Sasuke…" asked Naruto.

Slightly groaning from landing on his face, Sasuke jumped gracefully to his feet. Sasuke growled, "What!" Naruto may be his best friend, but he's still an idiot. He didn't even notice Sasuke on the floor because of Naruto.

Naruto just pointed at a picture on the table-stand next to the bed. "Who's this?" Naruto's finger pointed to a boy with brown hair and green eyes. Holding his new Konoha hitai proudly, he was smiling widely, showing his dimples on his right cheek. There was blood running down the corner of his head, but it seemed like the boy didn't seem to notice. His coffee colored hair was tousled a bit, a few leaves here and there. The boy was laughing and smiling at someone when the picture was taken. His emerald eyes flashed with happiness and excitement. The picture was probably taken after the Chunin exams because the boy was wearing the official Konoha vest.

Sasuke cocked his head to the right slightly , thinking about who the boy could be. He could sense Naruto boring his eyes at Sasuke, but he ignored it. "I don't know, why don't you ask Sakura?"

Naruto lost all of his curiousity as soon as Sasuke said that. He looked away from the picture and whispered, "I don't think she'll answer."

Sasuke detected Naruto's sudden discomfort and placed his hand carefully on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto tensed at Sasuke's sudden gentle gesture, but relaxed. "Naruto," asked Sasuke, "Why are you afraid to talk to her?"

"It was something I did…five years ago,"

One of Sasuke's eyebrows twitched upwards. "What did you do?"

Naruto quickly glanced up at Sasuke. "I…left her,"

Suddenly, the hand on Naruto's shoulder left as quickly as it arrived. Sasuke's mouth thinned and turned into a frown. "What do you mean?" Naruto couldn't even look at Sasuke. He was so ashamed. He did the exact same thing he promised to Sakura he would never do. He promised _never to leave_. That he wouldn't leave, _just like Sasuke did. _

Sasuke smacked Naruto's head to get his attention. "Well?" asked Sasuke, "Are you going to finish your story?"

"I left…to find you,"

"I already knew that, remember? You found me and hence," Sasuke waved his arms along his body, "here I am,"

"I know that!" Naruto rolled his eyes at Sasuke's snide comment. "But…I didn't tell Sakura-chan until it was too late for her to follow me." He looked at the hard-wood floor. "I didn't take her along, because the last time she went after you…you almost killed her. Luckily for her, I was there, remember? I jumped in at the moment you were about to stab her with the kunai." His blue eyes were filled with tears that refused to run down his cheeks. He sniffled and kept going on with his story. "I didn't want her to get hurt, especially by her own teammate. I thought it would be better for her, to stay in Konoha,"

"I was at the gate that night, five years ago. My bags were packed and I had enough ramen to feed a village," Naruto sniffled a chuckle. "Walking towards the gate, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around, but I already knew who it was. It was Sakura, standing behind me. She held my hand and told me that if I left that night, she would never forgive me. She told me that she would hate me forever," Naruto slumped back on the bed. His eyes stared at the ceiling fan above. "I told her to let me go and to not follow me. She didn't understand!" He slammed his hands onto the bed. "I couldn't let her go! What if she got hurt? What would I do then? She's like a sister to me. For me to let her come with me…it was too much. If she ever got hurt, I would be useless to her. So…that night, I told her to leave me alone. I told her that you wouldn't want to even see her. I told her..._I didn't want to see her." _

"I betrayed her, Sasuke. I left her…just like you did. I became a missing-nin, and I broke my promise to her. I knocked her out, _just like you did_."

He stood up slowly and put his hands to his face. Rubbing his temples, Naruto sighed. "Time flies, doesn't it old friend?"

Sasuke's eyes softened for just a moment as he replied, "I guess it does," Sasuke took his hand and hit the back of Naruto's head. "You have a lot of explaining to do. Especially to Sakura." Sasuke looked at his hands as he was washed over with a wave of guilt.

_Just like you did. _

Ignoring the feeling of guilt, Sasuke wondered, "Did you tell the Hokage this?"

"Of course. But it's no excuse…"

"It's time for you to tell Sakura this. I think she has the right to know. She has to know why you didn't bring her along with you."

Sasuke folded his arms around his chest and looked away from Naruto. His eyes furrowed as he mumbled, "Don't hurt her anymore."

Naruto's mouth turned into a cheeky grin. He bounced up to Sasuke and punched him in the arm. "You care for her, don't you, teme?"

"Shut up."

"You do! Sasuke likes Sakura!" Naruto pointed at Sasuke accusingly.

Sasuke ignored at Naruto's constant banter. How could he have such a fast change of mood? One moment he's depressed and another he's extremely happy and annoying. It's like he is having his time of the month, _all the time._ Sasuke shook his head and raised his hand. He rolled his hands into a fist and punched Naruto in the face, just to make him shut up.

Naruto fell to the floor in surprise. He stared at Sasuke with his wide sapphire eyes. All of the sudden, fits of giggles and chuckles emerged from Naruto. Naruto held his stomach and rolled on the floor. He sighed as he stood up and fixed his shirt. Then, placing his hands on Sasuke's shoulder, he suddenly turned serious. With a slight frown, he stated, "Don't hurt her anymore too, teme. Or I'll kill you."

His threat was real. Sasuke knew that.

There was one thing that Sasuke didn't know though.

That all this time, Sakura was standing outside the door, listening to her two boys fight and banter. Her hand covered her mouth as she tried to stifle a sob as she heard Naruto speaking about his sudden departure.

Even though Naruto was on the floor laughing, she couldn't stop crying. All this time, why didn't that idiot just say so? Sakura shook her head as she wiped her tears. Why was she even crying?

_I haven't cried like this in years, maybe it just all spilled out._

She _was_ going to come in to warn Sasuke not to mess with anything in the room.

That room was special to her. It belonged to her older brother. Another small tear rolled down her cheek. _Brother…_

}{}{}{}{}{}{

**Hey guys! **

**I just returned from Korea, by the way, it was amazing. **

**I wanted to thank everyone for their reviews! I understand this is kind of a slow story, but I want it to be as elaborate is it could be. There was a little SasuSaku moment…kind of? Haha, well I hope you guys stick with me the whole ride! **

**Please, more reviews would be fantastic! Truthfully, I love reading all of your reviews. You guys are so nice! **

**Oh, and for the one person who recommended titles for this story, thanks so much! I loved the titles, but I want to hear from the rest of you guys! If I don't receive any more from this story, then I'm going with the one person who recommended me titles.**

**Ah, and before I forget. I'm holding a CONTEST! **

**I would like anyone to give me another plot line for my next story. I'm going to be writing this story along with this story at the same time. I would like to keep it SasuSaku related. I have nothing against any other couples, but it is easier for me to write SasuSaku stories. If you're interested, sign up for this contest by reviewing to this chapter. Thanks! **

**Thank you so much! **

**-mdrm 812-**

**P.S. I'll try making this story go a bit faster, but I'm trying to get it to be maybe around 50 chapters…so we'll see! **

**P.P.S. Surprise! I have summer school…woo? I'll try and post as much as I can, but summer school is kind of long…with a lot of homework, so I'll try! Don't be mad at me if I don't post as often! Thanks! **


	5. Author's Note: Contest Win & New Title

Yo guys!

Thanks to TheBloodyLoveOfSakuraHaruno and lizziexcielxX for entering in my little contest!

So…the winner is…(drum roll)….

lizziexcielxX

Thank you to TheBloodyLoveOfSakuraHaruno for your idea as well! I greatly appreciated it and I hope you will keep reading my stories in the future. And who knows? Maybe I'll use your idea in another story…;)

To lizziexcielxX, I love the idea of Sakura leaving as soon as Sasuke arrives. Just so you know, I will be writing this story after I finish half of Unknown Title. I will also be sending you via email (through ) the first chapter so I could get your personal review. You can edit it however you want because, well, this is _your_ story topic, right? From then on, I'll keep in contact with you so if you have some kind of new idea to twist the plot, I'll know.

To everyone else, thank you so much for your reviews! I read them all and I appreciate all the feedback. Oh, and some of you have suggested I not make Sakura forgive them too quickly. Don't worry! I also want Sakura to be a bit more stoic…but I don't also want her to be completely silent. I'll try and follow your reviews so I can appeal to all of your tastes.

To PropsAD, the one who gave me a few titles for this story, I have chosen a title, just for you ! I love Scars To Be Healed, so that's going to be title from now on. Thank you so much for your input!

I'm going to start right now on chapter 4 of now titled Scars To Be Healed. Wish me luck!

-mdrm812-


	6. Welcome Home?

Before I start with this story…I want to thank all of you. Seriously. Already 44 reviews for three chapters…I can't believe it. You guys are just too nice to me!

Well, that's all I wanted to say. Keep up with the great reviews, they really make my day.

On with the story…

Mdrm812

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**Sakura ran her hand through her long pink hair. It was too much for her to handle. It was something she didn't want to think about. **

**She leaned back onto the wall as she held her arms together. She looked up at the ceiling and sighed. Sakura picked herself up and started to walk away from the door. **

**She wasn't ready to tell them yet. **

**No, she didn't want to tell them. Why would she? It was none of their business. **

**As she starting to head out of the hallway, the door creaked open slowly. Sakura froze in the middle of the hallway. **

'_**Shit,'**_

"**Sakura?" asked Sasuke. His hand was on the doorknob as he looked out the door. He had a plain white shirt on with some navy pants. His hair was a bit tousled as his black eyes met Sakura's jade eyes. **

**Sakura's body was like a statue. Her eyes looked at Sasuke from the corner of her eye. Without turning around she muttered, "Dinner's ready. Go get Naruto and come to the kitchen." **

**Sasuke watched Sakura saunter out of the hallway and into the kitchen. He closed the door quietly and heard the clinging and clanging of the dishes. Naruto was laying on Sasuke's bed with his eyes closed. His was breathing slowly and deeply, trying to make Sasuke believe that he was asleep. **

"**Wake up, dobe. Sakura said dinner is ready," Sasuke nudged Naruto with his foot. Naruto didn't move. "Wake up!" **

**Naruto opened his eyes, revealing the deep blue saucers on his head. "I'm awake, teme. No need to kick me." **

"**Sakura told me to tell y-," **

"**I heard!" Naruto jumped from Sasuke's bed and zoomed out of the room. "Come on! Sakura said dinner is ready!" **

**Sasuke shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I already said that…baka." He walked out of the room and arrived at the kitchen. Sakura was sitting on the white couch in the living room. Naruto was already scarfing down food set on the table. He looked at Sakura curled up on the couch watching some T.V. In her hand she twirled a cup of red wine. **

**He was going to ask if she was going to eat, but stopped himself. He didn't want Sakura to get the wrong idea. **

**Sakura turned her head and faced Sasuke. With a frown, she stated, "Don't worry. I won't get the wrong idea." She smirked and turned her attention back to the T.V. while taking a sip of the wine. **

**Sasuke stood frozen. He was certain he didn't say anything out loud. How could she reply to him when he said nothing? Can she read thoughts? Unfreezing his body, he sat down and started to eat the food, which was delicious. **

**Bow tie pasta with marinara sauce alongside a bowl of grapes and a cup of red wine. **

**Naruto was blabbering while Sasuke slowly ate his food. He was watching Sakura out of the corner of his eye in suspicion. He still didn't get how she could reply when he said nothing. **

**It made no sense. And Sasuke was a very analytical person, so it boggled his mind to no end. **

**Sakura sat on the couch and watched the T.V. intently. She knew Sasuke was little bit confused. She laughed inside her mind. Rolling her eyes, she sighed as she took another swing of the wine. Bitter yet sweet, it would taste perfect along with the pasta she had made earlier, but with Naruto and Sasuke sitting at her dining table, she had no intention of joining them. She didn't want to. **

**Ironically, Naruto was just the same. She believed that Naruto would be the one to change, but he is exactly the same: loud and energetic. **_**Too**_** energetic. His one hundred percent grin could probably light up an entire football field. Sakura still had the tendency to wack him in the head because he just won't **_**shut up**_**. **

**Even more ironic, Sasuke was…well, **_**annoying**_**. She never noticed it before because she was "in love" with him. Sakura scoffed silently to herself at the fact that she believed that she was ever "in love" with Sasuke. It was some stupid childish crush. She smacked herself mentally as she reminisced on her juvenile behavior when Team 7 still existed. **

'_**Sasuke-kun! Wait for me!'**_

'_**Do you want to…go on a date?' **_

'_**Sasuke! Are you ok?' **_

**Her eyes clenched closed as she remembered all of her stupid mistakes as a genin. Now in the ANBU and as the Chief Medic, she had more responsibilities that to "love" Sasuke. To her, Sasuke now was just as annoying as she was when she was younger…but in a different way. **

**The old Sakura was loud and obnoxious, claiming her infatuation toward Sasuke. She believed that she was as strong as Naruto and Sasuke. What a loud of bull. **

**The Sasuke eating on her glass dining table was annoying because he lacked to say anything. He wasn't loud, but he wasn't exactly quiet. Sakura silently wished he would say something other than 'hn' or 'aa'. Seriously. He wasn't some toddler who lacked any vocabulary; he was a twenty year old **_**grown**_** man. **

**Annoying.**

**She giggled to herself. It was weird that now she was calling him annoying when he was the one who told her that every day in their genin years. It always hurt to hear Sasuke say how annoying she was, but surprisingly, it was always ok with her. She only wanted to be by his side, to understand him. **

**Again, what a load of bull. **

**The young Sakura could have never understood Sasuke. They were too different. Two different past lives, two different **_**people**_**. It was stupid of her to believe that they could understand each other. **

**Sakura was jolted from her sudden lapse from reality by a clanging of dishes in the sink. She looked up from her intense staring of her wine to see Naruto washing the dishes. Sasuke was drying them next to him. **

**On impulse, her head cocked to one side and her eyebrow rose. When did the two strongest ninja in the shinobi world do the dishes? It was something most people didn't see in their daily lives. **

**Shaking her head, she stands up from the couch and stretches, exhaling as her muscles relax. She walks toward the sink and shoves the two boys aside. Sasuke bumps into Naruto, causing him to fall into the edge of the counter. "I'll clean the dishes. Just go sit somewhere else," Sakura states. She continues to nudge them rudely out of her way until the whole sink is in her perimeter. **

**Sasuke and Naruto just shrug at each other and sit on the couch Sakura was previously sitting on. Sasuke could feel the heat coming from the couch seat where Sakura sat. Naruto stretches his legs out on the loveseat and begins to fall asleep. **

**Placing the last dish in the dry section of the sink, she walks over to Naruto and knocks his legs off the couch. Sakura's eyes were squinted in a glare as she examined the scruff marks left on her white leather couch. "Great. Thanks, Naruto," growls Sakura. She sits down on the loveseat next to Naruto in a huff. "It's only…8:00. What do you want to do?" Sakura then mumbles to herself, "Not that I care." **

**Naruto grabs Sakura's hand and grins, "I need to talk to you." **

**Sakura, surprised at the sudden action Naruto had just done, smacks his hand off of hers and sneers, "Why would you want to talk to me?" She crosses her arms across her chest and looks away from the frowning blonde haired boy. **

"**You know exactly why I want to talk to you." **

"**So, give me one good reason why I should even listen to you?" **

"**Because I have a good reason!" **

"**Again, why should I listen to you? And saying you had a good reason is not enough," Sakura pauses and continues, "You know that." **

**Naruto exhales and explains, "Sakura. I couldn't take you with me because I was afraid you would get hurt. You met Sasuke before I left, remember? He tried **_**to kill you**_**," **

**Sasuke frowned at the statement. He was listening to the two bickering acquaintances in amusement until he heard his name. With his onyx eyes, he glared furiously at Naruto, trying to get his attention. **

**Purposely ignoring Sasuke's piercing glare, Naruto contines. "What if we saw him again and he really killed you, hm? What would I have done then? I couldn't let that happen. You're one of my precious people, I had to protect you." **

**Sakura was looking at her shoes as Naruto was explaining to her. Lifting her head slowly, she smirks at Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto's blue eyes widen in surprise. "You done?" sneers Sakura. She flicks some dirt from under her nails. "You think that's your 'good reason'? You left for **_**five years**_**, Naruto. And you think that you wanting to protect me are a 'good reason'. If you think that I'll accept that as an apology, you're sadly mistaken. No, if you think you'll ever get forgiven by me, you're even more sadly mistaken. You're not the only one who had it rough for the past five years. Let's just pretend to everybody else we're like team 7 again, ka-peesh?"**

**Sakura picks her petite body from the loveseat and walks toward her room. Naruto is completely silent after the speech Sakura had just given him. Sasuke doesn't know what to say. **

**Sakura walks into her room and opens the window, letting the cool night breeze flow through her strawberry hair. Her eyes closed as she listened to the grasshoppers chirping. Suddenly, her eyes flung open as she grabbed a kunai from under her pillow. **

**Standing in a defensive stance, she waits until the perpetrator reveals himself. She sees the ANBU standing outside her window on a tree branch. **

"**What is it?" commands Sakura. She throws her kunai at the wall, leaving a dent in the yellow paint. **

"**Tsunade-sama wishes me to give you this scroll. High importance." The ANBU then leaves in a poof after he hands her the scroll. **

**Sakura notices the same seal that she received earlier on the records of Sasuke and Naruto. She places the scroll on her desk thinking to herself that she was going to read it in the morning. She was in no mood to learn about anything new. **

**Changing into the pajamas, she crawled into bed. She stared at the moon above her. Her eyes twinkled as the blanket of darkness began to cover her mind. **

**As much as she wanted to open the scroll out of pure curiosity, she was too tired. She had too many things on her mind. Naruto's explanation, Sasuke's sudden return…it was too much to handle for one day. **

**Sakura sighed as she rolled on her side away from her window. **

**Tomorrows a whole other day. **


	7. Way To Start Over Part 1

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't been updating as much…

I have a good reason! Well not a good reason, but a reason!

Summer school. Woopee.

Although I can't finish it all, here's a little sneak peek! Enjoy!

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**Naruto POV**

Sasuke and I went our separate ways that night after Sakura yelled at me. I watched her back as she swerved around the corner and entered the long hallway.

I scratched the back of my head and sighed, "Well, that went great." I stood up from the couch and stretched. "Let's hit the hay, teme. We've got a long day tomorrow."

Sasuke stood along with me and slapped me in the back of the head. Hard.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" I punched him in the arm. Sasuke slightly cringed and tried to hit me back, but I kept hitting him.

"Quit it, dobe! What is wrong with you!" yelled Sasuke. He put in me a chokehold and squeezed my neck.

I choked, "Well, I don't know! Maybe because you hit me or the fact that Sakura won't give me the light of day to explain myself." I elbowed him in the stomach. "Hm, which one do you think?"

Sasuke rubbed his stomach gingerly and smirked. "Probably both, dobe." He fixed his shirt and muttered, "I'm going to bed. 'Night."

I snapped my head up and sneered, "Whatever. I hope you don't get killed."

He turned his head slightly toward me and scoffed, "Yea, make sure you sleep with one eye open tonight, dobe."

He put his finger to his neck and made a slicing motion across it. I grabbed my neck self-consciously. I was about to make a comeback, but Sasuke was already gone.


	8. Way To Start Over Part 2

**Hey guys! **

**I am so sorry for the long wait…things have been going on in my life. **

**My grandpa, at the ripe age of 85, fell down a whole flight of escalators in the airport. Better yet, they were in Georgia. By themselves. Oh, and did I mention they can't speak English? **

**The police showed up. And they don't know how to speak English. Wonderful. **

**I flew there with my family to explain and help my grandparents. We flew back home only to find out that my grandpa and grandma can't take care of themselves anymore. So every day, me and my mom would drive an hour and a half to their house to take care of them the whole day. **

**On top of that I have summer school, two hour piano lessons, and community service. Oh, and my mom works almost every day of the week from open to close. **

**Enough with the excuses, I hope you guys like this chapter. It was written in a rush due to, well, I just explained it to you guys. **

**Forgive me! And maybe enjoy this chapter! OH! And don't forget to review. By the way, I loved the last review. It made me feel really happy even though I had to take my 83 year old grandpa to the bathroom about 15 times a day. I still love him though. **

**Anyway, last time, enjoy. **

**Mdrm812**

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Sasuke and I went our separate ways that night after Sakura yelled at me. I watched her back as she swerved around the corner and entered the long hallway.

I scratched the back of my head and sighed, "Well, that went great." I stood up from the couch and stretched. "Let's hit the hay, teme. We've got a long day tomorrow."

Sasuke stood along with me and slapped me in the back of the head. Hard.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" I punched him in the arm. Sasuke slightly cringed and tried to hit me back, but I kept hitting him.

"Quit it, dobe! What is wrong with you!" yelled Sasuke. He put in me a chokehold and squeezed my neck.

I choked, "Well, I don't know! Maybe because you hit me or the fact that Sakura won't give me the light of day to explain myself." I elbowed him in the stomach. "Hm, which one do you think?"

Sasuke rubbed his stomach gingerly and smirked. "Probably both, dobe." He fixed his shirt and muttered, "I'm going to bed. 'Night."

I snapped my head up and sneered, "Whatever. I hope you don't get killed."

He turned his head slightly toward me and scoffed, "Yea, make sure you sleep with one eye open tonight, dobe."

He put his finger to his neck and made a slicing motion across it. I grabbed my neck self-consciously. I was about to make a comeback, but Sasuke was already gone.

{}{}{}{}

"Wake up!"

"Kick him."

"No! You kick him!"

"Too much work."

Sakura waved her arms around in frustration as Sasuke was determined not to move from the corner of Naruto's room. Her eyes narrowed as she kicked Naruto, right in his 'special place'.

Naruto's blue eyes flew open as he gasped while grabbing his 'special place'. Naruto whimpered, "Why?"

Sasuke grunted and smirked at Naruto's obvious pain. Sakura's hands were on her hips and she commanded, "Get up or you'll miss your breakfast." She walked out of the room but Sasuke stops her.

"We need to finish what Naruto began last night."

Sakura knocked his arm out of her way and pushes Sasuke. "What we discussed last night, I understood. No need to finish anything." She closes the door behind her gently.

Naruto, still grabbing his package, stands up slowly. "I'm guessing she understood…"

Sasuke rubbed his temples and nodded. "I guess so." He grabbed Naruto's shirt that was laying on the floor and threw it on his face. "Get dressed. I'm hungry."

"Alright…alright. Give me a couple seconds."

Sasuke grunted and walked out of Naruto's room. He walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Sakura was standing over a pan cooking some pancakes. She turned her head halfway and asked, "Do you like blueberries in your pancakes?" Sasuke grunted again.

"Sure."

"DO I SMELL PANCAKES AND BACON?" Naruto ran down the hallway and appeared behind Sasuke with a large grin on his face.

Sakura smirked and put a plate of blueberry pancakes and crispy sizzling bacon on the table. "Dig in."

Naruto pushed Sasuke roughly out of the way as he stuffed two pancakes in his mouth along with a slice of bacon. "So…good!" Soggy pancake and the buttery syrup dripped out of his mouth.

Sasuke hit Naruto across the head and mumbled, "Idiot."

Sakura grabbed a piece of bacon from the dish and walked over to the counter where her keys were placed. She grabbed her navy cashmere sweater and her doctor coat. Putting her shoes on, she turned around to the two boys enjoying their breakfast. "I'm going to the hospital until around 9:00 pm, ok? Don't do anything stupid," She glared at Naruto. "ANBU ninjas are going to be watching you 24/7, so for emphasis, _don't do anything stupid_."

Cheeks all puffed up from the excess amount of food stored in Naruto's mouth, he struggled to make words. "O-o-k-pff,"

Sakura rolled her eyes and turned around to open the door. Before she closed it behind her, she stuck her head in. "Oh, another thing. **Don't touch anything. **I mean it," she snapped with an icy glare. "If I find anything out of place, I'll put you in the hospital for a month, got it?"

Naruto mumbled in agreement to Sakura's demand. Sasuke just did his usual grunt and continued to chew on the bacon.

Sakura sighed as she pulled her head from the door. Closing it behind her, she stretched her arms up towards the sky.

Turning around one more time, she glared intensely at her black front door. _'If they as much as touch anything that isn't theirs, I'm going to snap their necks like twigs.' _

Tapping the front of her sandals to make sure her foot was comfortable, she briskly walked toward the hospital where she can resume the impossible amount of paperwork left behind the night before.

}{}{}{}{

The blonde haired boy was twitching in his seat after enjoying a delicious breakfast. His cerulean eyes twinkled in curiosity and excitement.

Sasuke exhaled a large amount of air as he saw Naruto jerking in the black dining chair. His long pale fingers reached for the bridge between his eyes. Rubbing his nose-bridge, he sighed, "You want to look through her stuff, right?"

Naruto jumped out of his seat and cried, "Yes! I really do!" He grabbed the hand Sasuke was massaging himself with and wailed, "Please don't tell Sakura! Let's just keep this a secret between us bros, ok?"

Sasuke snatched his hand back from Naruto's tight grip. "Don't touch me."

The blonde idiot ignored Sasuke's snappy comment and continued to wail and beg for Sasuke to: 1) not tell Sakura 2) come with him on his "magical treasure hunt" through Sakura's stuff 3) to go get him some ramen.

Sasuke sat there, listening to Naruto's constant rambling. His eye brow and lip were twitching in annoyance. "Shut up!" Sasuke snapped. Naruto immediately stopped, but his mouth started to tremble as if he was about to cry. Sasuke groaned, "Ok, if I said yes to looking through Sakura's stuff, will you _shut up_?"

Naruto vigorously nodded. He grabbed his empty plate and tossed it in the sink gently. Skipping toward a cabinet in the living room, he called, "Sasuke, come over here! I think I found her photo albums!"

Groaning again, Sasuke also places his empty dish in the sink and drags his feet toward Naruto. Naruto was plopped down on the white rug as he opened the cabinet. There were three shelves inside the cabinet. On one shelf, books in different genres were arranged neatly, all from historical fiction to medical. On the second shelf were old ninja scrolls, sealed and marked with the Haruno symbol. Some were even enclosed with the Hokage's seal.

The bottom shelf was what Naruto was most interested in. Photo albums piled at the bottom of the cabinet. Some were filled to the brim with pictures; others could have been classified as empty.

Naruto grabs a green photo album and gingerly opens it. His sapphire eyes widen with shock. "S-ss-Sasuke! Look at this." He holds the photo album at Sasuke, trying to make Sasuke look at the first picture.

Sasuke wasn't even sitting down. Frankly, he didn't really care about Sakura's past, but he was curious with what god Naruto is such a fuss. Mentally, Sasuke refused to look at the picture. After all, he just wanted to do was get through the year with ease. Unfortunately, with Naruto in the picture, that would be _very_ difficult.

While muttering something under his breath, Sasuke sat down next to Naruto to see the photo book. Sasuke mentally hit himself in the head as the curiosity got the best of him.

He snatched the green photo album out of Naruto's large hands. Tsking under his breath, he looked at the first picture. His head snapped back in surprise.

Scratch the previous statement before when he said he didn't care about Sakura's past.

_Now_ he was interested.

The picture was of Sakura, around the age of 7, holding hands with a black-haired look alike. A look alike to, well, himself. He was pale and good looking, just like himself.

Sakura was shining with a large smile pasted on her face. The boy next to her was also smiling, holding her hand tightly as she ran towards the camera. Her eyes were sparkling with delight and her cheeks were flushed a rosy red.

Naruto was watching Sasuke react to the picture. Sasuke's dark eyes widened slightly and his thin lips parted just a pinch. Eyebrows furrowed, Naruto could tell Sasuke had an array of questions.

Who was this boy? What is his relation to his female companion?

Naruto snickered to himself as he realized that those questions would probably never be answered. If they even asked Sakura about this, well, let's just say Sakura's previous statement would probably be amplified from one month to one year.

Sasuke was still staring at the picture, observing the facial expression of both people. Naruto noticed something though. That landscape, that background, it wasn't in Konoha. It was too…rocky. Konoha was a fertile land, filled with tall trees and lush grass. The picture was also filled with grass, but it had multiple large boulders in the background. Konoha never had large boulders.

Naruto pointed this observation out to Sasuke. Sasuke nodded in agreement.

This picture wasn't taken in Konoha.

But it seemed as if Sakura knew what she was doing. Her bare feet were running across to the camera as if she knew exactly where to step in that grassy rocky terrain. The boy also looked as if he knew what he was doing.

Better yet, on the boy's arm was a sash. Naruto and Sasuke peered closer at the picture. Naruto gasps.

It wasn't just a sash, but a hitai-ate. With a symbol on it.

It wasn't a Konoha symbol. No, it looked like it was from the Land of Stone. Or maybe the Land of Waves. It was fuzzy.

The supposedly best friends looked up at each other as they both realize this. Naruto's blue eyes, wide with shock, spelled it out to Sasuke.

Sakura wasn't from Konoha.

So, where was she from?


	9. Don't Piss Me Off

**Hey guys! I want to thank you guys for all the great reviews. You guys are so nice and I really like that you guys are enjoying this story. **

**My grandpa is ok. Even with a few broken ribs and a spine injury, he's on a one way track toward recovery. Thanks for all your concerns. **

**Kusukusu225, your reviews always make me smile. Blabbering on a review is alright with me. Thank you so much! **

**I have also read the other reviews, and I know a lot of you have questions. Don't worry! They will be answered in due time. I'm just trying to keep you guys all on the edge of your seat. And from those reviews, I can see its working! **

**Now, enjoy the 6****th**** chapter of ****Scars To Be Healed!**

**-mdrm812- **

}{}{}{}{}{

_**Recap**_:

_It wasn't a Konoha symbol. No, it looked like it was from the Land of Stone. Or maybe the Land of Waves. It was fuzzy. _

_The supposedly best friends looked up at each other as they both realize this. Naruto's blue eyes, wide with shock, spelled it out to Sasuke. _

_Sakura wasn't from Konoha. _

_So, where was she from? _

}{}{}{}{}{

**Time skip—8:30 pm**

Sakura straightened the large stacks of papers on her desk. Even though she worked from open to close, she still hasn't finished the large amount of paperwork left behind. Sighing, she glanced at the small black clock at the left corner of her desk. 8:30. She could leave in thirty minutes.

Her long pink hair was tucked behind her ears as she looked back at the paperwork. She still had thirty minutes, why not finish the rest?

She clicked her black pen and scribbled down on the first page of her paperwork. "Patient #458…multiple contusions and a slight concussion. Release date?" Sakura bit the edge of her pen in thought. "Well, Patient #458, you can leave tomorrow afternoon."

Sakura filled in the rest of the paperwork and glanced at the table clock again. 9:00. Finally, she can go home and rest and…

Sakura groaned. She almost forgot that her two male teammates were at her house. Damn it.

She stood up from her leather chair and stretched. Brushing her hair with her fingers, she walked toward the bookcase. She pushed it aside to reveal a safe. Carefully turning the dial to open it, it popped open. She grabbed Naruto and Sasuke's personal info and tucked it gently in her bag.

Sakura pressed the intercom button on her telephone and asked, "Can someone bring me some coffee? Thanks."

Seconds later, a piping hot cup of coffee was delivered to Sakura's office. Sakura whispered a thanks to the nurse and took the coffee from her hands. She walked toward her window that overlooked the entire Konoha market district. The merchants and shop keepers were trading and selling clothes, foods, and other goods. People laughed as a child danced on the street for money. Others joined a crowd in a restaurant to enjoy the wondrous food served at the restaurant.

Sakura slightly smiled at the laughter and joy. Lights sparkled and twinkled on the shop's roofs. Sipping the black coffee in her hands, she turned away from her window and grabbed her coat. She, again, glanced at her clock. 10:00.

Her long porcelain arm grabbed the bag hanging off the corner of her chair. She fixed her hair and clothes by looking at the mirror hanging on her wall.

As she was heading out, one of the nurses stopped her. "Chief, tomorrow will be the interrogation of Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. Will you be present?"

Sakura paused in thought. Should she go? Better yet, why should she go? Even though Naruto kind of explained to her why he didn't tell her he was leaving, she still didn't forgive him. Sasuke was in the same bag as Naruto was. He left for a selfish reason. That is even worse, right?

"Yes, I'll be attending." The nurse nodded as she scribbled on her notepad.

"Have a good night, Chief."

"You too."

As soon as Sakura stepped out of the hospital doors, she smacked herself in the head. Why did she say yes? She was contemplating in her head how much she hated the two shinobi, but without any hesitation, she said yes to the nurse.

Sakura sighed in defeat and exhaustion. She looked at the sky and saw the waning moon surrounded by twinkling stars. Sakura rolled her eyes at the thought of going back home, but she had no choice.

Time to go home. Sakura quickly transported herself toward her apartment.

}{}{}{}{}{

"Look at this one! And this one!" Naruto was throwing photo albums around at Sasuke. "They're almost all the same!" Naruto flung another photo. "With the same boy!"

Sasuke quickly grabbed Naruto's hand to make him stop flinging photos everywhere. "You're ruining her living room!" With a quick snap of his wrist, he clamped Naruto's mouth. "Calm down. There is an explanation to everything."

"You're right."

Sasuke's body turned around slowly, frozen. His hand was still on Naruto's mouth. Naruto's eyes were wide with fear and astonishment. He was muffling something under Sasuke's tense grip.

Sakura was standing behind them, her hand clenched on the counter top. Her coat was still in her hand. Sakura's face was tight with anger and hate. Grinding her teeth together with rage, she glared at the two boys frozen in her living room. Her body was rigid and tight.

Unclenching her jaw, she hissed, "What…are…you…doing?" She threw her coat on the table and walked stiffly toward Sasuke and Naruto. A crumpling sound was heard below her foot. She looked down, noticing that she stepped on a picture.

Stepping off of it surprisingly, she picked it up from the ground. Sasuke noticed her eyes softened slightly. Curling her fingers around the corner of the photo, she threw an icy glare at the two boys. "What is this doing on the floor?" Looking around in her living room, she saw many photos on the ground, lying about.

Quickly snatching them all up, she raced toward Sasuke and Naruto, who are both still solid. "Don't make me ask you again," she sneered. "What is this," she held the picture in front of them, "doing on _the floor?_"

Sasuke let go of Naruto quickly. He straightened himself up and looked Sakura in the eye. "We're both sorry, aren't we, _dobe?_"

He glared at Naruto through the corner of his onyx eyes. Naruto mumbled something incoherent.

Sakura whipped her hand and smacked Naruto across the head. She knocked Sasuke off his feet with a graceful kick. She snatched all the photo albums strewed across the floor and stored them gently into the cabinet.

Sasuke and Naruto were on the floor, groaning in pain. Sakura grabbed them both by the collar and shook them. "Didn't I tell you _not_ to look through my stuff?"

"S-s-Sakura-chan! We can explain!" Naruto's eyes were still wide with horror as he realized that he could be killed at that very moment.

Sakura harshly threw them both across the room. They landed with a crash on the dining table, completely dismembering it. For just a moment, her green eyes flickered black as she sauntered over to the two boys lying on the broken table.

Sasuke immediately jumped up and stood in a fighting stance while Naruto was on his knees, begging Sakura to spare them.

Sakura stopped walking toward them and deeply inhaled. She brought her hand to her forehead and murmured, "I'm tired. I don't want to deal with this right now." Her eyebrows were furrowed and her lips were set in a thin line.

She sighed as she walked toward the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Naruto stood up from his begging position and cautiously approached Sakura. Sasuke dropped his hands from his fighting stance and carefully followed behind Naruto.

Sakura gulped down a glass of water when her eyes narrowed. Quick as lightening, she grabbed a kunai from under her skirt and threw it on her wall. It left a large dent on her aging yellow paint.

An ANBU's mask appeared just above Sakura's kunai. The ANBU tugged the kunai out of the wall and casually tossed it to Sakura. Her viridian eyes were still narrowed as she accepted her kunai back.

The thin and tall ANBU leaned against the wall and laughed, "Still have that temper, don't you?" He ran his fingers through his black hair.

Sasuke was standing by Naruto, both in a fighting position. Naruto questioned, "Who is this, Sakura?" Sasuke grunted in agreement.

Sakura put her water glass away quietly as she slowly turned back toward the three boys in her house. Her eyes were closed, revealing her dark circles from lack of sleep.

She began, "You've already seen him, Naruto. You too, Sasuke." She walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a photo album. She stuck her hand into the cover and pulled out the photo of her and the black haired boy running towards the camera, laughing.

The ANBU flashed next to Sakura as he exclaimed, "You still have this picture?" He ran his fingers across it in remembrance. "It's been years."

Naruto's mouth dropped in shock. He dropped the kunai he was holding and pointed, "This is the guy from the pictures?"

Sasuke let go of the edge of his katana and asked the ANBU, "What is your name?"

The ANBU stared at the two ex-missing-nins and answered, "My name is Sai," He grabbed Sakura's shoulders and shook them gently. "This girl here is my best friend." Sakura smiled punched Sai softly on the shoulder. He winced back in pain.

Sakura's eye twitched as she noticed Sai's obvious pain. She put her hand back on his shoulder and mumbled, "Tender?" He nodded.

This was where her medical skills were put into use. Her hands glow a faint green as the large bruise that was on Sai's shoulder started to disappear. Naruto and Sasuke watched as Sakura's unique chakra control healed Sai.

Sasuke and Naruto started to head over to them when Sasuke stopped. He hissed in pain as he noticed that a couple of his toes had been broken by Sakura's previous tirade. Naruto cried, "Teme! You ok?" He put his large tan hand on Sasuke's forehead. "You feel sick? Maybe you should lie down."

Sasuke knocked Naruto's hand off his forehead lightly. "I'm fine. Just a couple toes broken, that's all." He tried to get up, but it looked as if his big toe bone was broken in several places.

Sakura walked calmly to Sasuke and placed her glowing green hand on Sasuke's foot. Gently rubbing her fingers along his toes, she whispered, "Sorry."

Sasuke looked at her as his toes magically began to feel numb. Then it began to feel very warm and light. Sakura took her hands off his toes and asked, "How do you feel now?" Sasuke wiggled his toes around.

"Fine, I suppose." Sasuke looked away from Sakura, refusing to meet her gaze.

Sakura sighed as she noticed Sasuke not matching eyes with her. She _was_ the one who broke his toes in the first place. Laughing to herself, she looked at Sai and asked, "Why are you here? Did something happen?"

Sai's humorous gaze dropped immediately. That crooked smile that was on his elegant pale face quickly disappeared. He ran his hands across nose-bridge and revealed, "I was sent here by the elders to watch them," He pointed at Naruto and Sasuke, whom were still staring at Sai with distrust and a little jealousy.

Jealously got the best of the two big bad ex-missing-nins. They were jealous because Sai and Sakura had a relationship in which they could never compete in. Although they did have a similar relationship before…that, it was too late. Both boys knew that their friendship could never be the same as it was five years ago. For Sasuke, he knew that his seven years of absence had affected her greatly.

A comfortable gesture or a slight smile could be exchanged between the two childhood friends while Sasuke and Naruto were thrown across rooms. Great!

Sai continued, "I wasn't supposed to be caught." He tugged on Sakura's arm softly. "You do understand why, right Sakura?"

Sakura began to massage her temples. She acknowledged that fact that the elders were a threat to her old teammates, but she didn't know that they were going to watch them this closely. She thought that she would only have to report monthly to them, so they at least knew what was happening.

The pink haired maiden nodded in agreement to Sai's previous statement. She did understand why Sasuke and Naruto were being watched so carefully, even by their best ANBU, which was Sai.

They were an intimidating threat to the elders. Both were too powerful, too strong for even the Hokage herself to take. They also knew the secret behind Itachi's past, the Uchiha Clan's past. If they knew about that past, they knew about the Fourth Hokage being Naruto's father. Keeping those secrets from them could lead her two teammates into anger, swearing to avenge their families.

Sakura slightly smirked to herself. Revenge always ruined everything.

Sasuke and Naruto intensely watched Sakura as she was thinking. Her eyes were closed and her brows were deeply furrowed. Her mouth was set on a slight frown while she bit the left corner of her bottom mouth.

Sai was also watching, but not watching Sakura. He was watching her two old teammates. Sai rolled his eyes at the two. _'Idiots'_

Sai gently shook Sakura out of her thought bubble. "I have to go. Good luck, Sakura. And if you need anything, just ask." Sakura nodded and gave Sai a slight hug.

"Be careful, Sai. Come to the hospital and get a check-up soon. I don't want to die on me, ok?"

Sai smirked and pinched Sakura on the cheek. He gave her a little peck on the cheek mumbled, "I'll never leave you."

Sakura smiled as Sai jumped out her window and into the night. She turned her attention to the two boys still standing in her living room. Her eyes glanced at the broken dining table. Suddenly, a light sparked in her brain. Quickly avoiding the two boys, she dashed into her room. On her desk was the scroll that was delivered to her from the Hokage. She then grabbed the other scroll that she stored in her bag.

Placing them both on her table, she quickly undid the seals with a couple unique hand signs. Sasuke and Naruto followed Sakura into her room and stood at her door arch with questioning eyes.

Sakura turned on her light and opened the two scrolls gently. Her eyes scanned the two scrolls, her eyes flickering from right to left.

Her plump lips set into a thin line as she made eye-contact with the boys. She rolled the scrolls back up and re-sealed them.

"Tomorrow," Sakura revealed, "you both will be interrogated by the ANBU interrogation unit." She grabbed the two scrolls. "Don't make things harder on yourself and answer all the questions without attitude, ok?" She pushed the boys out of her doorway. "Oh, and about today's earlier incident, let's just forget about it, ok?"

She began to close the door on Sasuke and Naruto when she paused. "I mean it, guys. If you guys really respect me, you won't look through my stuff again."

The chestnut door closed with a slight click. Sasuke and Naruto sighed in unison. Naruto smacked Sasuke's back and grinned, "Let's go to bed, Sasuke." Sasuke nodded slightly as both of them walked down the dark hallway and into their separate rooms.


	10. Preview:Another Brick In The Wall

"Where is Uchiha Madara?" growled an ANBU interrogator. A defined lion mask shined due to the single lamp hanging over Sasuke's head. Strong hands grab his shirt collar and slightly shake it. Piercing green eyes stared at the young prodigy with curiosity and wonder.

Sasuke said nothing. He hangs his head down in defiance, deliberately refusing to meet the interrogator's eyes. The interrogator gets irritated and snarls in frustration. She turns around sharply and rubs her temples. Focusing her attention onto the other person in the room, she grins.

The other person was sitting next to Sasuke. He was in the same position, staring at the ANBU interrogator. His blonde hair was slightly scuffled and his mouth was set on a thin line. The ANBU member turns around and meets her eyes with his.

With a quick step, she asks, "Naruto, do you know where Uchiha Madara is?" Naruto doesn't look away from her sharp gaze and says nothing.

Her nose twitched with annoyance. Why won't these idiots say anything? If they really wanted to become members of this village again, wouldn't it be _logical_ to give valuable information to prove their loyalty?

Crossing her arms across her chest, she sighs. Behind her was a small table with multiple needles and serums. Looking through a drawer of formulas, she grabs one from the very back. She swipes two shots from the top drawer and fills them with the potion.

"It would be easier to just answer my questions. I wouldn't have to drug you." She tapped the ends of the needles. Glancing at the two shinobi from the corner of her eye, she continued, "So, your choice. Would you rather have a truth serum injected into you to _make _you tell me, or would you rather just answer the simple question?"

Silence rang throughout the small concrete room.

The ANBU interrogator shook her head. "Ok, your choice." She turns around and injects both boys with the drug. Naruto flinched at the needle entering his lower arm while Sasuke just sits quietly as he watches the shot.


	11. Another Brick in The Wall

**Hey guys! **

**This chapter is…well…messy. I've been in such a rush to restart this story that I haven't had the time to re-read my work. **

**Take notice that all grammar isn't perfect and my sentence structure could be off. I tried writing as much as I can…I hope you guys can see that. **

**Balancing this with school is harder than I thought, but I'll try to squeeze my love for writing for you guys. **

**I love all of your support and reviews! Especially reviews, those are what keeps me going. I read them again and again, which inspires me to think about how much I love writing. So, thanks. I owe you guys. **

**Enjoy this story. It's not my best work, so don't expect too much! **

**Mdrm812**

The pink maiden's arms were strewn across her soft squishy pillows as she stared at her ceiling fan spinning around. The mattress formed a barrier around her lean body, creating warmth and comfort. She didn't want to the comfort of her warm enclosure. For all she cared, she could lay there forever until she died.

But, the world isn't really fair.

Sighing, Sakura slowly lifted her suddenly heavy body and threw her legs off the mattress. She glances at her table clock. 6:30 am. She silently groans to herself. She has two more hours until she had to get ready to leave for her hospital shift. Her very _long_ hospital shift.

Even though she has no life except for filling out patient's paperwork, she would rather do that than wake up to hear obnoxiously loud snoring next door.

Sakura groans loudly and flops her head back into her pillow. Her pink hair flies behind her in a messy pile. Blinking slowly, she wonders how her day is going to be.

These days, with Naruto and Sasuke around, she has barely anytime to herself. Every turn or step, one of those two would be in her way.

For example, yesterday she had to go to the bathroom. Intensely. Usually, she doesn't go during work, so basically she doesn't go all day. If it is possible, she thought her bladder was going to explode.

Anyway, Sakura rushes down her hallway, stumbling toward her bathroom. She reaches for the door handle, when Naruto slams her to the ground and runs inside yelling, "Damn spoiled milk!"

Laying on the hallway floor, Sasuke walks past her and raises his narrow eyebrow. He snickers, "It's your fault for having spoiled milk the fridge."

Sakura stares at her ceiling, remembering that event that almost cost her bladder. She shudders as she felt her stomach twitch.

Sighing once again, Sakura lifts herself from her comfortable fortress and trudges toward her desk. She opens her drawer, revealing Tsunade's scrolls. Switching on her desk light, she unseals the scrolls and unrolls it from the bindings. Remembering her stealth, she enhances her chakra to her ears, trying to listen for any signs of awakening for the two boys.

All she heard were obnoxiously loud z's from Naruto and a soft sigh from Sasuke.

Focusing her attention back onto the scroll, she reads Naruto and Sasuke's personal records again. Nothing out of the ordinary, except for their whacked up crazy lives.

She then unseals and unrolls the second scroll. It was a letter from Tsunade-sama.

_Sakura, _

_I want you to be careful with those records. They're the real deal. Don't lose them. _

_I know it's going to be hard living with those to again. Try to forgive and forget. It could be for the best. _

_Back to the records…the elders were looking for them. I told them I don't know where it was, but I doubt they believed me. They'll ask you next, Sakura. Don't give them the right to be suspicious. Let them believe what they want, but as far as we're concerned, __**you don't know anything**__. _

_I want you to do some background research on them. Personally. _

_Yesterday, I told your subordinate nurse to tell you Sasuke and Naruto would be having their interrogations today. Hopefully, she listened to my orders. _

_**You**__ will be interrogating them today. Before you oppose, I want you to get specific information out of them. Something that will help them __**and**__ you. You could get a lot from what they say, if they say anything at all. _

_Don't let them see it's you. They'll use that against you. I know you still have a slight soft spot for those two, but tonight, don't let it show. You __**will**__ be as cold as ice, understood? We need this, even if it hurts you. _

_Good luck, _

_Tsunade_

_p.s. Burn this scroll when you're done. _

Sakura closes the scroll quietly, absorbing all of what Tsunade-sama meant. Flashing quick hand-signs to make the fire seal, she lightly blows on it. Fire shot out of her mouth and delicately licked the sides of the paper. She watched the fire eat the scroll away.

She was going to interrogate her teammates tonight? And be as cold as ice? Oh, _great_.

Rolling her eyes at the very thought of her interrogating the idiots, she begins to think of what benefits she would get from them like Tsunade said. What could she possibly benefit from getting information out of those two?

It clicked in her mind. Of course, why didn't she think of it before? What do Sasuke and Naruto have in common with her? It was so obvious. The name was taboo in her mind…she couldn't even think of it without growling or sneering.

_Uchiha Madara. _

Fucking joy. The man that ruined everything for her. Destroyed her life. Annihilated it.

That dick took away her humanity, her only reason for living at that time. For what reason? Sakura still didn't know why, but she could care less. All she knows is that Uchiha Madara was the incarnation of the devil and that his destruction would bring peace to the world.

So…Tsunade wants Sakura to get information out of her teammates about Uchiha Madara. How could she refuse? It would lead her one step closer to his location, in which she means, his death.

Switching off her desk lamp, she walked toward her closet and grabbed her ANBU uniform. With a towel in her hand, she silently strolled down her hallway and to her bathroom.

She turned the knob of her shower, watching the water trickle out of her shower head. Steam began to build in the bathroom, but Sakura just stood there in thought.

She would do it, without any remorse or guilt. Her emerald eyes flashed with hatred and excitement as she realized that now, she could get her revenge. The reflection in the bathroom mirror was somebody she didn't recognize.

She would do it, for her family. She will avenge them, even if it kills her.

}{}{}{}{

"Hey Sasuke, where's Sakura-chan?" Naruto was laying down on the couch, glancing through a magazine. He looks at the small clock on the wall. 11:30 am. He hasn't seen Sakura since last night.

Sasuke looks up from his water glass to meet Naruto's cerulean eyes brim with worry. Rubbing the sides of the glass cup, he mumbles, "Don't worry, dobe. She's fine. Sakura is probably at work right now."

Naruto tosses the magazine to the side and grabs a seat next to Sasuke. Naruto raises his eyebrow and points the water cup. "You gonna drink that?"

Sasuke rolls his eyes and scoffs. The corner of his mouth curled slightly as he handed Naruto the water glass. Suddenly, Sasuke's attention flashes toward the window. Naruto sees Sasuke's tension and grabs a kunai from his leg pouch.

Both boys in the defensive position, Naruto calls, "Who's there? You're not our assigned ANBU; we memorized their chakra signatures this morning."

A gloved hand appears at the side of the window, pulling the heavy glass upwards to have some leg room. Shoving his body through the window, the ANBU shinobi throws his sword on the ground in a sign of surrender.

Naruto and Sasuke slightly drop their defensive positions as they saw the ANBU member throw his weapons to the ground.

Naruto looks at the amount of arsenal on the floor and then back at the ANBU. "Who are you?"

The ANBU member reaches for his mask slowly and peels it off his slightly damp face. "It's me, from last night?"

Naruto drops his kunai and sighs. "I remember you. You're," he paused and snickered, "Sakura-chan's _childhood friend_."

Sai smiles at Naruto and chuckles, "Yea, that's me. Sakura's _best_ friend." His eyes burned into Naruto's. "Not that you aren't her _best_ friend."

Naruto huffed, "Oh, I am. Don't worry about that, dattebayo."

Sasuke watches from the sideline as their conversation just repeated itself. Best friend this, hang out that…he could care less. His eyebrows furrowed as he noticed that he never dropped his kunai. His knuckles were white from gripping the hilt. Untangling his fingers from the hilt, he slides the kunai into his side bag.

Naruto and Sai's bickering went on and on until Sasuke says, "Enough! Both of you are her friends, satisfied?"

Sai smirks at Sasuke. "What if I said I was her _lover_?"

Sasuke's attention switches from his nails to Sai. His face started to get a little red and blotchy. His mouth juts forward in a smirk/frown as he imagines Sakura kissing Sai. Chills were noticeable on Sasuke's pale complexion. Noticing his sudden reaction, he looks away from Sai quickly. "Why would I care?"

"Oh, no reason. But, why are you blushing?"

"I'm not blushing! Don't be ridiculous."

"Then what is that red stuff on your face and neck? Don't tell me its blood, because I know what blood looks like, trust me."

Naruto's tan face gets really close to Sasuke's. He pokes Sasuke's high cheekbones and mutters, "He's right, teme. You are red."

"Shut up. I'm leaving." Sasuke strides elegantly toward the front door until he felt Sai's hand grab his arm. Glaring at Sai's hand, wishing it would burn or fall off, he asks, "What?"

"You have to come with me. Hokage's orders."

Snatching his arm back, Sasuke nods.

}{}{}{}{

Naruto and Sasuke were talking behind Sai, watching his every move. As far as they were concerned, Sai was bad news, for both Sakura and for them.

Naruto glared at Sai's back, wishing he could rip his spine out. Sai took the one thing that was important to him, Sakura. She was his family, his sister practically. With Sai in the picture, how were they ever going to re-kindle that relationship? Through Sai as a messenger? Sai would just be a nuisance, like a giant brick wall in the road who won't get out of the way.

Sai would direct all of her energy onto him, not to Naruto. Naruto wants to have a friendship with Sakura again, but with all her time on Sai, Naruto was out of the picture. And with what Sai said before, about being lovers with her, he scoffed. Sasuke looked at him questionably.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the very thought of Sai being lovers with Sakura. That thought would be horrible, the atrocity of nature. How could Sakura be lovers with Sai? Even dating him would be like visiting hell and back.

Sasuke watched as Naruto's face changes from pale, to red, to dark purple. Naruto looked like his was about to pounce onto Sai's back and run him off a cliff. He pokes Naruto's ribs, hoping to get his attention.

Failure. Naruto's frown jutted out of his tan, handsome face even more. His lips were moving, but Sasuke couldn't make it out into words.

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke focuses on the shinobi in front of him. _Sai_. What a stupid name. Whoever named him must've hated him.

That previous statement, about being Sakura's lover…that was horrible. How could Sakura even consider going out with him? She was out of his league.

Even though Sakura was an annoying brat, it wasn't like he didn't think of her as attractive. He has hormones; it's not like he doesn't have a pair.

Sakura was beautiful, in fact. Even an Uchiha could admit that. You could even say that Sakura was the incarnation of beauty.

Sasuke's definition of beauty and Sakura matched perfectly. He believed that to be beautiful, one has to be beautiful on the inside and out. Sakura was his match.

Sasuke's eyes widened at what he just thought. Sakura was his match? Scratch that out. She's just a teammate, not different than Naruto. If he ever considered having a…sexual…relationship with Sakura, it would be like having a relationship with Naruto.

Shudders rippled throughout his body. Ugh, gross.

Sasuke's coal eyes watched as Sai turned up the stairs and into the Hokage's room. Opening the door, he waved them inside. Before he could close the door, Sasuke saw a smirk on Sai's stupid face.

Then, all went black.

}{}{}{}{

**Sasuke's POV**

_Where am I? _Everything was groggy and fuzzy. I couldn't see out of my eyes very clearly. On instinct, I flashed my Sharingan on. I saw one mass of chakra leaning against the wall. It was a female, lean and tall.

My eyes focused themselves slowly. I turned to my right to see Naruto tied to a chair. He was still out of it.

_Wait…tied? _

I look down at my hands, which were tied behind the chair. My legs were strapped into the chair legs and my mouth was gagged with a single piece of cloth.

I heard mumbling and groaning. Naruto was starting to gain consciousness. He lifted his head to the light and moaned.

I also looked into the single light on the cement ceiling. It was like looking the sun for a whole hour. I was drugged, definitely.

With my eyes focused, I saw that the mass of chakra before was a female ANBU member. Her body was covered in a long dark cloak. Her face was covered with a clear lion mask. The markings and swirls were so exact and precise that it looked as if a lion was about to pop out of the mask itself.

Slowly, she sauntered toward us. Her cloak waved behind her, leaving a beautiful shadow. She grabs a chair from the corner of the room and sits between Naruto and I.

Not making eye-contact with us, she asks, "Can you understand me right now?"

I nod silently. Naruto does the same. He and I make eye-contact for a split second before returning our attention to the ANBU member.

In that split- second, we relayed telepathically what is happening. We could have been kidnapped by some rogue ninja who were hiding in the Hokage's office. But how could that be possible? The Hokage would kick their asses if she found them sneaking behind a couch in her office. God knows where she stashes her sake. It could be anywhere.

The only explanation would be the interrogation unit. They were always the dramatic type. Was it too much to ask for just a, "You are going to be interrogated now" rather than being kidnapped?

The ANBU member slides out of her chair and reaches onto a small table. On that table were syringes and other medical equipment.

Torture equipment.

I could practically hear Naruto's heart drop as he sees medical equipment lined up parallel on a blue towel.

The ANBU member picks up the scalpel and holds it up in the air. She examines it for a second, but places it back down on the table. She reaches for two shots, filling them both up with some kind of serum.

Flicking the needle point, I could practically feel her smirking from underneath her mask. In a soft yet dangerous voice, she questions, "Ready?"

}{}{}{}{

**Normal POV**

"Where is Uchiha Madara?" growled an ANBU interrogator. A defined lion mask shined due to the single lamp hanging over Sasuke's head. Strong hands grab his shirt collar and slightly shake it. Piercing green eyes stared at the young prodigy with curiosity and wonder.

Sasuke said nothing. He hangs his head down in defiance, deliberately refusing to meet the interrogator's eyes. The interrogator gets irritated and snarls in frustration. She turns around sharply and rubs her temples. Focusing her attention onto the other person in the room, she grins.

The other person was sitting next to Sasuke. He was in the same position, staring at the ANBU interrogator. His blonde hair was slightly scuffled and his mouth was set on a thin line. The ANBU member turns around and meets her eyes with his.

With a quick step, she asks, "Naruto, do you know where Uchiha Madara is?" Naruto doesn't look away from her sharp gaze and says nothing.

Her nose twitched with annoyance. Why won't these idiots say anything? If they really wanted to become members of this village again, wouldn't it be _logical_ to give valuable information to prove their loyalty?

Crossing her arms across her chest, she sighs. Behind her was a small table with multiple needles and serums. Looking through a drawer of formulas, she grabs one from the very back. She swipes two shots from the top drawer and fills them with the potion.

"It would be easier to just answer my questions. I wouldn't have to drug you." She tapped the ends of the needles. Glancing at the two shinobi from the corner of her eye, she continued, "So, your choice. Would you rather have a truth serum injected into you to _make _you tell me, or would you rather just answer the simple question?"

Silence rang throughout the small concrete room.

The ANBU interrogator shook her head. "Ok, your choice." She turns around and injects both boys with the drug. Naruto flinched at the needle entering his lower arm while Sasuke just sits quietly as he watches the shot enter his arm.

Here we go again.


	12. Time To Figure Out The Truth

Sweat dripped off their foreheads, creating numerous dark spots on their clothes. Only panting and moaning could be heard in the small cement room. The only light source flickered and rats scurried along the corners of the walls. Mold grew on the walls as white fuzzy patches. Cockroaches scuttled over chains that were left by the previous criminals.

Sasuke and Naruto sat in the next cell, awaiting their fate. With their heightened senses, they could hear every breath and beat that their next door neighbors created. They could hear the pitter patter of the water dripping through the moldy ceiling. Unfortunately, they weren't in any better shape than their fellow "criminals".

Naruto had several deep cuts along his arms and face. His usual bright tan skin was smeared in black soot and dried blood. The orange jumpsuit that he is famous for was tattered and ripped, some parts barely held by a strand of thread. Gasping for air due to the after-effects of drugs he was injected with, he whispered, "Sasuke, you ok?"

Sasuke lifted his head, revealing numerous cuts and bruises on his face. His lips were cracked and bleeding. His clothes weren't in better condition than Naruto's. On his muscular chest were many slices from a medical instrument, most likely a scalpel. He meets Naruto's eyes and mutters, "I'm fine. You?"

Naruto's breathing got better as he tried to smile. It only came out to be smirk since his face was so bruised that he couldn't move his facial muscles. Slightly smirking, he mumbles, "I've been better. Dying for some ramen though," he looks through the metal bars wrapped in paper seals. "Konoha's security system has stepped up a notch, huh, Sasuke?"

Craning his neck to see what Naruto was talking about, he sees the paper seals. Every inch of the metal bars were wrapped. Sasuke reached out to the metal doors, only to immediately snap his hand back. Pain hissed from his arm to his finger-tips. Ignoring the fact that the interrogator had broken his fingers, he noticed that after he touched the bars, he felt tired. No, not tired, exhausted. It was like he ran a 100 mile marathon.

Naruto was also reaching for the bars until Sasuke smacked his hand down. "Don't touch them, dobe," Sasuke sighed as he ran his not-broken hand through his thick black locks. "There covered in chakra absorbing seals. They'll suck you dry."

Naruto grabbed his hand and rubbed it gently against his stomach. A pout appeared on his face. Naruto cried, "Why won't they feed us in here?" He tried grabbing the ANBU member's attention by calling, "Wouldn't kill ya for some food!"

Silence was Naruto's reply.

Sighing, Naruto leaned his suddenly heavy head against the cement walls. He looked at Sasuke, who looked like he was about to pass out. His usually pale face was even paler, if that was even possible.

Sasuke wasn't paying attention to Naruto's awkward staring. He was thinking of their "friendly" interrogator. She was all too familiar. Her actions and voice sounded so…different…than a usual interrogator. To his amusement, this interrogator was too _nice_. A usual interrogator would have immediately cut their fingers off if they refused to say anything, but this one just slightly fractured their fingers. To any normal interrogator, submission would be their ultimate goal. They _want_ their captives to feel like they were in hell, no, worse than hell. They were trained like that from birth; all family-born interrogators had no choice. But their interrogator didn't make him, or Naruto, feel that way. Instead of putting them in submission, she used drugs. Too much drugs, if you asked Sasuke. It was as if she was refusing to hurt them, well, hurt them to the extent where they felt like dying was the only way out.

It didn't matter because she didn't get her answers. The only questions she asked were, "Where is Uchiha Madara?" and "Why did he want you two?". All questions revolved around Uchiha Madara. Sasuke rolled his eyes. Frankly, hearing his name over and over again was annoying.

Although their interrogator was extremely nice in normal interrogator terms, it was suspicious that she would only ask questions revolving around that bastard Madara. Yes, Sasuke and Naruto did have many encounters with him. Sasuke did "work" under him for some time, but to Sasuke, that didn't seem very important. If the interrogator had any idea what she was doing, she would have asked: "What is Madara's next move?" or "Are the Atkasuki planning anything?". Those would have logical questions worth asking and answering.

After his long train of thought, Sasuke noticed something different. It was quiet. No more panting and no more moaning. Naruto looked at Sasuke and quietly nodded his head.

It seemed as if their neighbors had died.

Sasuke saw the ANBU guard walk toward their cell, only to see a few dead criminals on the cold cement floor. The ANBU member smirked under his mask.

Suddenly, a muffling noise came from the other cell. Naruto looked up from surprise, craning his neck around the metal bars. He wanted to see what happened.

Sasuke watched as Naruto pulled his neck out, trying to see what was going on. Then, he saw Naruto's azure eyes widen. He met Sasuke's eyes, only to telepathically signal panic and terror. A flare of chakra was felt throughout the whole jail floor. It was all too familiar.

A clothed figure walked in front of their jail cell and unlocked the padlock bars. Stepping inside the cell, the clothed figure chuckled. "Aren't you two in little twist?"

}{}{}{}{

Sakura dropped her heavy bag on the living room floor and plopped on her white couch. Ripping off her ANBU uniform, she sat there, staring at the lights in her black tank-top and baggy ninja pants.

Today was harder than she thought. She had just spent seven hours interrogating Sasuke and Naruto. As far as she knew, she thought they were going to crack after the second time she drugged them, but they were stubborn. Too stubborn. She had drugged them a total of ten times, which would be lethal to any civilian.

Naruto was out of it by the ninth time, so Sakura dragged him into the jail cell. She didn't get any answers from him. Sasuke lasted till the very last injection until he passed out. She also didn't get anything from him.

How annoying.

Why couldn't they just answer the question? She only asked two questions, both very easy to answer. If they did answer, they could have left earlier, which would mean that they wouldn't be in a cell right now.

Sakura rubbed her nose-bridge as her head started to pound. She felt as if someone was repeatedly beating her with a sledge hammer.

She trudged into the kitchen and popped some Tylenol, trying to ease some of the headache. Trekking down the familiar hallway, she opened the door to her older brother's room. She opened every drawer, making sure Naruto didn't do anything to her older brother's things. Naruto only moved one drawer, just to make enough room for his possessions. Her photo of her brother was still on the night-stand.

Sakura slumped down into the mattress and took the photo off the night-stand. She rubbed her fingers on his face and smiled. That picture was taken the day he graduated the academy. She was four at the time, but she could remember every detail of that day.

That's what made it even worse. All her favorite memories…now were like giant scars that wouldn't go away. She wanted for them to go away, which is why she tried to feel nothing. She wanted to be a like a robot, just living for the sake of living.

When Naruto and Sasuke left, that was the last straw. She couldn't do it anymore. She knew she couldn't hide how she felt anymore. Behind all of her smiles, excluded only for her two teammates, she was hurting inside. And she hated it. She hated how Sasuke and Naruto would look at her and say, "You had the easy life compared to us. We suffered."

Yea, if this is the easy life, I wonder how horrible a hard life would be.

Enough with the pity-party. She had to stop feeling bad for herself. For all she knows, there could be people with even worse lives than her.

Sakura stood up from Naruto's bed and placed the photo gently back on the table. Closing the door behind her, her stomach rips a large growl. Sakura grabs her stomach and smirks.

She walked into the kitchen, took some meat out of the fridge, put it on the pan, grabbed some hard liquor, and poured herself a shot. As the grease from the meat sizzled, she took a swing of the liquor. It was like liquid fire, racing down her throat, burning every inch of her mouth. Her face twisted as she felt the bitter liquid swish slightly in her mouth before she swallowed.

A buzz feeling was on her lips a few seconds later. The room was slightly dizzy, but not swirling. Sakura began to pour herself another shot until she felt a chakra signature.

Spinning around with a kunai ready in her hand, she called, "Who are you? Come out, I've sensed you as soon as I stepped into the house."

A dark shadow appeared on her yellow walls. It smiled and slightly waved at Sakura.

It was only a clone, so Sakura lowered her kunai cautiously. She was wary of this clothed man. His chakra was too strong, maybe as strong as Naruto's. It was highly unlikely that this man could possibly be a jinchuriki, but in the shinobi world, anything was possible.

Stepping into her kitchen, the clothed man leers, "I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to talk." He looked around her kitchen, opening some drawers.

Sakura snickered as she saw him examining her kitchen utensils. "What do you want to talk about? I don't like to be kept waiting."

As quick as lightening, he appeared behind her. He picked up a strand of Sakura's luscious pink hair and threw it over her shoulder. Sakura's lime green eyes glanced back at the man, but quickly looked forward. "You don't remember me, do you?"

Sakura walked forward toward her stove and flipped over some meat slices. Pouring herself two shots, she offered one to the mystery man. He politely refused with a wave of his hand. Swinging the shot glass to her mouth, she replied, "Frankly, I can't see your face."

"My name is Uchiha Madara."

As soon as Sakura heard _that_ name, she crushed the shot glass on the table and placed it on Madara's neck. Blood was rushing down her arm due to the cracked glass in her palm. She pressed harder on his neck, watching the blood slip through the skin. She hissed, "What are you doing here? Come to murder another family?"

"No, I just came to explain your…incident. The 3rd Hokage lied to you."

Sakura's eyebrows furrow in confusion. Out of curiousity, she slowly lowered the sharp glass from his neck. He rubbed his neck consciously, and sighed. "I didn't murder your family. Someone else did."

Sakura scoffed and placed the glass back on his neck. "Yea, and I'm supposed to believe that."

Sakura blinked and Madara was gone. Her eyes widened as she spun around to see Madara sitting on her couch, stretching his legs. He looked at her and smirked wickedly. Placing a scroll on her coffee table, he explains, "All is in this scroll. Believe me or not, it's your choice." He looked at the clock on the far left wall. "It's time for me to go. If you want to talk about this, the next full moon is next week Tuesday. Come at midnight to the Hokage Mountain." he continued, "I also visited your two teammates tonight. Very loyal, aren't they?" He lifted the edge of his cloak and looked at the threads. "I was surprised they didn't say anything."

"That's none of your business, Madara. Leave them alone." Sakura's eyes turned into ferocious slits as she glared at the Uchiha.

"Protective much? Don't worry, I won't touch them. Their use to me is done." Before Sakura could reply, he disappeared in a blink of an eye.

Sakura sighed as she walked back into the kitchen. She popped a couple more pills and sulked toward the pan.

Great. The meat is burnt. What is she going to eat now? Her stomach growled in protest.

Sakura looked at the hard liquor on her kitchen counter.

_Might as well have another shot_.

}{}{}{}{

Preview:

The three of them sat on wooden poles, watching the sun set in front of them. Naruto looked at Sakura and asked, "We cool?"

Sakura snaps out of her trance from staring at the sunset. She looks at Naruto, then Sasuke, who was staring at her as well. Sighing, she replies, "I don't think we'll ever be _cool_ again." She jumped off the wooden pole and straightened her skirt. "Sorry."


	13. Try to Get Over It

**To my readers/fans: **

**Thank you all so much for reviewing to my last stories! I appreciate every single one. They're what keep me writing, truly. **

**I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been writing a lot more frequently than usual. It's because I'm afraid that after a couple chapters, I won't be able to update as much as I can. School is always a writing block, but I also have a life. I won't say writing is my passion; it's just a hobby I enjoy on my free time. Please understand that I can't write 24/7. Thanks! **

**Again, thank you so much for supporting me all this way. It really makes me happy to see you all enjoy my story so much! **

**Review Review! As I said before, those are what keep me going. **

**Love you all and I hope that I can update as much as possible, **

**Mdrm812**

}{}{}{}{

With their arms tightly tied behind their backs, Naruto and Sasuke were dragged into the Hokage's office by two ANBU guards. Neither one of them could keep their balance due to exhaustion. Naruto's legs stumbled underneath him, causing him to fall onto his knees. The ANBU guard whipped his arm under Naruto's arm and pulled him up painfully. Naruto grunted and glared evilly at the ANBU guard. Incoherent curses fell out of his mouth.

Sasuke was walking better than Naruto, but his eye-lids were dropping. Licking his chapped lips, he grunted when he was tossed into the Hokage's room with Naruto not far behind him.

Tsunade was reading a scroll before the boys were thrown in. Without glancing upwards, she waved the ANBU away. Both bowed in respect and sauntered out.

Rolling the scroll up and sealing it, she looked at Naruto and Sasuke. They were on their knees with their heads down. She saw the numerous cuts and bruises on their bodies, even the small injection sites where Sakura drugged them. Noticing the broken fingers and toes, she sighed. Sakura went easy on them. Tsunade smirked. That's too bad; she actually wanted to see the boys crying like babies.

Tsunade watched as Naruto struggled to get on his two feet. He grumbled in pain when he finally noticed that his toes were broken. His eyebrows rose as he wondered when that had happened.

"_Where is he?" the Anbu officer grabbed Naruto's hair and through him across the room. "Where is Madara?" She appeared behind Naruto, who was struggling to stand up. Kicking him in the back, she yelled, "Tell me!" _

_Naruto slammed against the cement wall and fell face first on the cold cement. Putting his palms on the floor to lift himself, he growls, "I don't know." Slowly getting up on his feet, Naruto's eyes flash from blue to red. The ANBU interrogator saw this and appeared at his feet. _

_Shoving him to the wall with much force, she growled, "You do know! You've been with him and Sasuke for years!" She pulled back and threw him against the wall again. The wall started to crack. "Don't lie to me!" _

"_I'm not—,"_

"_Shut up!" Stepping on his feet, she screamed, "Tell me and this will all be over!" _

Rolling his blue eyes, he sighed. That was probably when. He couldn't feel it because of the amount of force she shoved him with. Damn, that left him dizzy for hours.

Tsunade watched Naruto with amusement. She saw the conversation he was having with himself and lightly smiled. Turning her attention to the Uchiha-ass, she smiled even more.

It was as if he was having an argument with himself. His face spelled turmoil and confusion as he mumbled to himself. Anyone other than the people in the room would have thought he was a nutcase.

Tsunade scoffed at her thoughts. Anyone _other_ than Sasuke would have been a nutcase. No one could have gone through what he had and still be sane. Except for Sakura. That was an exception.

Glancing at the clock, she sighed. Five years ago, this day…memories rushed to Tsunade's already pounding head. Today was the day where Sakura lost everything, the day where everything dear to her disappeared before her eyes.

This was also the day the Uchiha Massacre occurred. Even earlier, this day was the day the nine-tailed fox almost destroyed the peaceful village of Konoha. Ironic, isn't it? Or maybe it was just coincidence.

Who knows? Tsunade looked at the two boys in pity. Team 7, the jewel of Konoha, had gone through so much, and ironically all of their horrible pasts have been on the same day. Tsunade sighed again. Life's a bitch, she might as well get used to it.

Grabbing three cups from her desk drawer, she poured some sake into it. She picked up two shots and walked over to the two boys who were still bent over in thought. Holding the drink up to her faces, she whispered, "Take a shot. It'll do you some good."

Naruto stared at Tsunade with disbelief. What the heck is she doing? Didn't she order their "kidnapping"? And now she's giving the two criminals sake.

Sasuke looked at her just for a second before grabbing the cup from her nimble fingers. Throwing his back, he felt the alcohol burn down his throat. He closed his eyes, savoring the feeling. Call him a masochist, but feeling this burning was minuscule compared to the amount of pain he had felt in his life. Oddly, it made him feel better.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and then back at Tsunade. Grabbing the shot glass from Tsunade, Naruto glanced warily at the cup. Slowly, but surely, he drank the whole shot. Tsunade smirked as Naruto cringed at the bitter drink.

She silently walked back to her desk and took a shot for herself. Leaning back into her swivel leather chair, she exhaled. The boys finally got back on their feet, through in some pain. Both were seated on the couch, awaiting her judgment.

Tsunade through one pig-tail over her shoulder and stared at the two boys intently. She wanted to make them crack. That would be hilarious.

Tsunade looked at the picture of her, Shizune, Tonton, and Sakura on the edge of her desk. Sakura wasn't smiling, as usual, and was glaring at the picture-taker. Shizune was holding on to Tonton for dear life because that rascal of a pig was trying to attack some birds in the corner of the picture. Tsunade was glaring intensely was Sakura, poking her to get her to smile.

_Those were the days…I think. _

Sakura never smiled again because of her teammate's abandonment. Tsunade blamed it mostly on Naruto. If he had never left by himself without Sakura knowing, she would have been ok. Not perfect, but better than she is today.

Sasuke would have eventually come home and achieved her forgiveness. Everything from then on would have been easy and swift. Sakura would get married, retire from ANBU and live life in leisure with a couple kids and a loving husband. Sasuke would have, maybe, married and had a happy life with a few more Uchiha-brats. Naruto would have a higher chance of becoming Hokage and running this crazy town with an iron fist.

She reminded herself; life's a bitch. Damn.

An idea popped into her head. Smirking, she waved at the two boys to grab their attention. "How you two feeling?"

Naruto and Sasuke glared at her, trying to burn her head telepathically. Naruto scoffed, "Oh, we've never been better. Just a couple broken bones and a slight concussion. No biggie."

Tsunade giggled at Naruto's sarcasm. My, how he has grown.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and grumbled, "What was the point of giving us alcohol?" His lips started to buzz and feel numb. He noticed that his speech came out a bit slurred.

Tsunade stretched her arms out in front of her and laughed. "I just wanted to talk to you seriously," She leaned back in her chair as she swiveled in a complete 360. Suddenly, she halted the chair with her feet and stared steadily at the two boys. "I need to talk to about Sakura."

_Oh, Sakura's going to hate me for this._

}{}{{}{

Sakura woke up on the floor of her kitchen. As soon as she leaned upwards, her head started to pound at the back of her head. She grabbed her head and groaned.

All around her were empty bottles of liquor. There were scrolls of jutsu she tried to learn, but failed miserably at. Broken glass laid around her legs.

Good god, hangovers were horrible.

Slowly getting up from the fetal position she woke up to, she staggered into the bathroom. Peeling her clothes off her body, a waft of alcohol blew into her nose. She gagged as she smelled the amount of alcohol she consumed.

Sakura blasted the shower on full heat and stepped inside. She felt the temperature change slowly against her bare back. Water trickled down her body and pitter pattered against the tile floor. She watched as it swirled down the drain along with the dirt and grime from her body.

She was thinking about Madara's offer. That was the only thing she could remember last night anyway.

If he was serious, than maybe she would take that offer. Just to meet him, nothing else. Of course, she would bring back-up secretly. She wasn't that stupid to go by herself.

Even though Madara could be an idiot, he wasn't someone to be underestimated.

But neither was she.

Closing her eyes, she stepped into the water. It flowed across her face and down her body. She breathed in and out.

She will go meet him at the next full moon. She will find out about her past, her horrible childhood. She has to find out the truth, even if it means betraying everyone that still might care about her. That was all matters.

Snapping her eyes open wide, she noticed something. Maybe this was how Sasuke felt like, before he left.

No way. There is no way she was going to betray Konoha. Even though life's been a big ball of shit here, she still loved it with a passion. It protected her from the bad things in life…well…kind of.

She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. She looked into the foggy mirror and frowned. Raising her pale hands, she ran her hands across the mirror, leaving finger imprints along the mirror.

She stared at herself. She really looked at herself. Her frown drilled itself deeper into her face.

It was somebody she didn't know.

Maybe, _just maybe_, she was turning to a Sasuke.

}{}{}{}{

Sakura strode out of the bathroom and to the kitchen. She noticed that all of the glass and bottles were gone, leaving a sparkling clean floor. Her throw up was gone too.

All that was left was a note saying, "Come out to our training grounds—Naruto and Sasuke."

Throwing her hair in a quick pony tail, she grabbed her supplies and shoes. Stepping in front of her door, she did a couple quick hand-signs and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

}{}{}{}{

All three of them were panting in exhaustion. Naruto and Sasuke had just come back from their healing session with Tsunade feeling brand new.

By healing session, they meant their talk, which both boys didn't want to talk about at that moment. They wanted to, the guilt was eating them alive, but they couldn't. It wasn't right. When she wanted to talk, she would.

Sakura lay between the two boys and panted. "I haven't had a workout like that in a long time."

Naruto laughed and threw his arms back behind his head. "Me neither. Teme hasn't been much a good fight for me lately."

A small twig came and hit itself on his head. Naruto growled, "Watch it, teme! I can still kick your ass, anytime anywhere!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Sure you can. Keep dreaming."

Sakura contained a giggle as she heard them bickering. Memories came back to her as she remembered all of the times where her two favorite boys fought with each other.

Those were the days.

Sakura stood up and walked toward the three logs that were still implanted on the dirt floor. Naruto and Sasuke watched her as she jumped on the middle log and stared at the sunset. They both followed suit a couple seconds later.

The three of them sat on wooden poles, watching the sun set in front of them. Naruto looked at Sakura and asked, "We cool?"

Sakura snaps out of her trance from staring at the sunset. She looks at Naruto, then Sasuke, who was staring at her as well. Sighing, she replies, "I don't think we'll ever be _cool_ again." She jumped off the wooden pole and straightened her skirt. "Sorry."

}{}{}{}{


	14. Let's Go Say Hello

**Hey guys! **

**So, this story was a bit rushed, but I want to get this out of the way as soon as possible. **

**I promise, next chapter will be the big revelation for our main character. It will be a lot more interesting than the previous fillers you all have read before. **

**Thank you so much for all your reviews! I was shocked at how many there were. Wow, over 100? You guys are just so amazing; give yourselves a pat on the back! I would love to have even more reviews this time! **

**Love you all so much and wish you all the best. Happy reading! **

**Mdrm812**

A week has gone by since Sasuke and Naruto's interrogation. It has also been a week since Naruto's confrontation with Sakura at their old training grounds. It seems as if Sakura will never forgive them, and Naruto was freaking out because of that.

Everywhere she would go, Naruto would follow. Which would mean Sasuke would follow as well, not that he really wanted to. He had better things to do than follow his old teammates around, even though he found it amusing.

Literately, Naruto was so attached to Sakura that Naruto looked like another appendage Sakura had achieved through mutation. He wouldn't leave her side, asking her stupid and idiotic questions.

The only Sakura would do would smirk and walk away, which would mean Naruto had to follow. Sasuke was surprised Sakura hadn't killed Naruto yet. If Naruto was doing that to him, he would.

Sasuke watched Sakura as she put away some clean dishes in her wooden cabinets. She was wearing a slightly short red dress with some slippers on her feet. Sasuke noticed how short Sakura actually was. If he stood by her, he would at least be a head taller than her.

His eyes wandered from her hands to her body. She was skinny and lean, but had a lot of muscle. As she reached up to the very top shelf of her cabinet, he could see her back muscles stretch to accommodate the height.

Suddenly, he felt a nudge under the table. He looked at Naruto, who was smirking viciously at his best friend. He mouthed, "Checking her out, teme?"

Sasuke's black eyes widened. Controlling his emotions, he mouthed back, "No. Baka." He felt his neck and ears get warm.

_Control, Sasuke! Control! _

Naruto smirked even wider. His best friend was slightly blushing. That was the first time he'd ever seen Sasuke do anything but snicker and scoff at someone.

Sakura could feel their eyes on her back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the two idiots mouth some things at each other. So obvious. She rolled her eyes and muttered, "If you're going to check me out, at least admit it."

Sasuke looked at Sakura and stuttered, "I-if I was going to check you out, you'd know. Trust me."

Her arm paused from putting away dishes. She lowered her arm and placed the dish carefully on the damp towel. She pulled her hair down from her high pony tail and spun around.

Like a predator stalking its prey, she sauntered toward Sasuke with grace. Sasuke just sat there, not knowing what to do.

Sakura walked in front of him and sat on his lap. Crossing her legs over his arm, she sighed, "You were never the one with hormones. I remember in the academy, these older girls would try and get something out of you." She leaned her head on his warm chest. "But you would always refuse." Glancing upwards, she asked, "Why is that?"

Sasuke was stricken in his seat. He tried saying words, but nothing came out. He tried doing something, like pushing Sakura off of him, but he couldn't. His arms won't move. Somehow, it automatically wrapped around Sakura's petite body.

_God damn hormones._

Meeting her jade eyes, he replied, "I never liked any of them. Academy was joke."

Sakura rolled her eyes. She placed her finger on his neck and slowly ran it down his neck and chest. "Oh, Sasuke. You loved academy. It was your sanctuary; a place where you were worshipped."

"More like mauled," he smirked down at Sakura. "If I'm not mistaken, you mauled me every day too."

Sakura ran her hand through her hair. Her shampoo scent wafted in Sasuke's face. His neck and ears got even warmer.

"I did, but I was blind. All I saw was what was on the outside," she poked Sasuke's chest and growled, "I didn't see what was inside."

To Sasuke's dismay, Sakura jumped out of his arms and lap and walked to finish the rest of the dishes. She fixed her hair back in a ponytail and sighed.

With the both of them thinking, they didn't notice Naruto throughout this whole "sitting on lap, let's kind of talk" thing. Naruto was gulping down a cup of water with his eyes wide open. For the first time in a week, Naruto didn't say anything, which Sakura noticed.

Sakura's mouth turned upward for a moment. This was the first time in a week where she didn't hear Naruto's voice. Ah, paradise.

}{}{}{}{

The fan spun around on top of Sasuke's bed. He lay there, watching the blades spin round and round. His face was in a blank stare as he heard a knock on his door.

He jumped up from his leisurely moment to get the door. Standing at Sasuke's door with his hand still raised was Naruto. He grinned cheekily as he allowed himself in.

Naruto jumped in the air and spread his arms out to land on the bed belly first. The mattress squeaked as it tried to adjust to Naruto's weight. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he seated himself next to Naruto.

"What is it, dobe?" Sasuke grabbed his katana from the bedside and looked at the blade. He was looking for any dents he needed to fix.

Naruto was now looking at the ceiling fan. His blue eyes turned dim as he started to zone out from his train of thought.

Annoyed, Sasuke snapped his fingers in his face, trying to get Naruto's attention. "Yo, dobe! Are you here?"

Naruto groaned as he snapped back to an unfair place he called earth. Why couldn't life be like that, the feeling where you zone out and all your problem go away?

Sitting up, he looked at Sasuke, suddenly serious. "Since Sakura is busy at the hospital, I wanted to talk to you about what Tsunade said last week," He scratched the back of his neck and continued. "Do you think we should confront her about it?"

Sasuke's eyes averted from his katana and snapped at Naruto. "No. That's the _worst_ possible thing we could do," He sheathed his sparkling blade and smirked. "We just have to let things take their course."

Naruto mumbled, "Oh, great. Doing that got _you_ in a better situation, am I right?" Naruto glanced wearily at Sasuke, waiting to be smacked for saying that. Sasuke was frozen and staring at his blade. Rolling his eyes, Naruto continued. "Sakura, Kakashi, and I were talking about this too. Of course, we decided to let things take their course, hoping that you would change for the best," He waved his arms at Sasuke. "That obviously didn't happen," His blue eyes turned wide with worry and guilt. "What if that happens to Sakura, hm? She can turn out like you! She might leave too!"

Sasuke looked away from his trance and smacked Naruto in the head. "Shut up. Sakura is different than me. She won't leave." Sasuke glanced over Naruto's shoulder for a second. He wanted to make his voice more positive and assertive, but there was no hope. Sakura was acting the way he was when he was genin, confused and hopeless. It was clear that Sakura was going the same path as he was.

That didn't mean he couldn't do anything about it.

Sakura's past and his past were so similar, it was mind-boggling. Too similar. Almost all of the events were consecutive. To add to the confusion, both life-changing events happened on the same day, along with Naruto's.

A pang hit his heart like a bullet. Sadly, he remembered his clan's sad fate. Their fate was inevitable, but Sasuke couldn't see that before. He was hell bent on revenge that it blinded him from the truth.

Yes, the truth was that his brother was ordered to eliminate the Uchiha clan, but there was so much more than that. Even if his brother didn't execute his clan, sooner or later, the clan's downfall would have occurred. So absorbed in their power and money, both greedy attributes would have killed them. Their death was inevitable…but Sasuke didn't realize that until it was almost too late.

_Blood was rushing down his head and into his open mouth. Gasping for air, he screamed, "You don't understand, Naruto! Your clan wasn't ordered to be destroyed!" He scoffed. "You didn't even have a clan to begin with." _

_Naruto was standing over him with his sword. Holding the blood covered sword over Sasuke's almost-unconscious body, he growled, "Yea, I didn't have the benefits of being in a prestigious clan, great. Does that make you better than me?" Naruto looked up and down Sasuke's mangled body. "As far as I'm concerned, having the name 'Uchiha' isn't such a great thing after all," Naruto glared at Sasuke with anger. "Grow up, Sasuke. Stop having a pity-party. The world __**doesn't**__ revolve around you. And, look at you now!" Naruto put the edge of Sasuke's sword to Sasuke's throat. "You're on the floor at the brink of death. And for your information, I will be stronger than you will ever be because I wanted to be strong for the right reasons." _

That was his enlightenment, his revelation. Naruto snapped his blinded eyes from hate and destruction to the truth.

Now, the bigger question is: what will they do about Sakura? Will they beat her to death before she realizes?

Naruto looks at Sasuke with concern. "She can't leave," Naruto looked at his hands which were placed on his lap. His fists clenched. "I won't let her."

}{}{}{}{

Sakura placed a bouquet of flowers on her families' graves. She cleaned them, trimming the invasive weeds and wiping off the dust on the gravestones. Smiling over them, she sighed. Oh, how she missed them. How she loved them…

She could feel the tears brimming in her eyes. Her nose started to run. Sniffling, she turned around and left the grave.

Again, Madara's request appeared in her mind. She wanted to go, but she knew that would be a bad idea. If she told anybody, they would stop her, but she didn't want to be stopped. She wanted to find out the truth.

Surely, if Naruto or Sasuke found out, they would lock her in a closet gagged and tied. Kakashi would probably knock her out for a few days, or until the full moon is gone.

She remembered walking past a tea shop where Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi were talking. They were talking about her, how much she changed.

Of course, Naruto and all his glory wanted to "save" her.

Sakura rolled her eyes. Save her? From what? The truth? Even Naruto couldn't save the truth. He and his unpredictable attributes were always strengths for him on the battle-field, but not for this. He saved Sasuke, sure, but it doesn't mean that she would be the same. She might not even need to be saved. As far as she was concerned, she will never turn out like Sasuke.

Unfortunately, the truth was unavoidable; she had to figure it out one day or another. It may destroy her, but better her knowing that her not knowing at all.

Sakura had finally decided. She would go, without any regrets or guilt.

Today was the full moon. Time to go meet the dick head.

}{}{}{}{


	15. Broken Strings

**Hey guys! **

**Ok, I finished this story in 2 hours. It is 10 pages long and 3,244 words. I'm going to say this right now…this chapter is going to suck. **

**I felt so bad for not updating soon enough, so I basically rushed through this one. **

**I have to say, this chapter is VERY important, for obvious reasons of course. **

**To all my readers who keep asking me about Sakura's mysterious past, I won't tell until THE VERY END. I like to keep you on the edge of your seat, you know? **

**I apologize for not "revealing the secret" yet, but I want all of the characters to undergo some kind of revelation, an enlightenment you can say. And, of course, Sakura's has to be last. She **_**is**_** the protagonist. **

**Ah, expect the unexpected for my story, my good readers! Like I said, I like to keep you on the edge of your seats. Is the suspense killing you? **

**Oh, I love you guys for reviewing. A few of you got messages from me thanking you. For those I forgot, THANKS A BUNCH! So, this week, I'd like to see more reviews. Those really do make my day. **

**Ok, enough with my rambling. Enjoy (I hope?)! **

**Mdrm812**

"Hey, Sasuke? When is Sakura's shift end?" Naruto was on her white couch, picking his nails with one hand while snacking on some chips with another. He was snuggled in comfy sweats and slippers while occasionally glancing at the clock.

It read 11:50, 2 hours and 50 minutes after Sakura's shift ended. Naruto was starting to get worried. Usually, Sakura comes home on time, drinks some warm tea, and quietly saunters off to bed without saying a single word to either one of them.

Well, those were her "good" days.

On her bad days, she would barge in, smash a cup of tea, and talk to herself angrily while sauntering off to bed. Naruto and Sasuke would not know what to do, so they would just watch her as she debates with herself. Naruto found it amusing while Sasuke thought she should be checked into the mental hospital.

Sasuke looks up from his book and sighs, "She'll be here eventually. Calm down, dobe."

Naruto was not sitting on the couch anymore, he was frantically looking at the clock and then out the window. He knows that Sakura is never late and she hates people who are late, for example, Kakashi.

He throws a soft pillow at Sasuke to grab his attention. Averting his eyes from the book page, Sasuke growls, "Can you stop and just sit down?"

Naruto sticks his tongue out and mumbles, "Just because you're my friend doesn't mean that you're my _only_ precious person. Sakura is one of them too, even though she hates me."

"She hates me too," Sasuke smirks. "She was the one who interrogated us, remember?" He closes his book and stretches his neck. "Judging from that, she hates both of us."

Naruto shuddered and wiggled his newly healed toes. "Definitely," His blue eyes glanced again at the white clock hanging on the wall. "But it doesn't give her a reason to be late."

}{}{}{}{

**Sakura's POV**

I glance at my watch. 12:10.

This is ridiculous. I'm leaving if he doesn't show up.

Wasn't it him who wanted to meet up? I mean, it is about me, but it doesn't give him a reason to be late. It's his idea.

Suddenly, I felt a strong chakra wave. I shivered as a gust of cold air mixed with chakra enveloped my body.

Without turning, I look to my left. "Madara. Took you long enough."

Madara chuckles as he takes a seat on the grass. Stretching his legs out, and he chuckles, "Ever the impatient one, aren't we, Sakura-san?"

I glared at him with enough intensity to kill 50 people. I know better than to trust _him_, even if he knows something about my families' murder. I scoffed, "Enough of the formalities tell me what I want to know."

"I take that as a yes. You need to learn to be patient," He wiggled his finger in the air and smirked. "You don't want to end up like Sasuke, do you?"

That struck a chord with me. I snatch a kunai from my holster and flicker in front of Madara. I stabbed it an inch away from his neck, trying to not mess with me, not that it was going to work. We're talking about _Uchiha Madara_ here, and supposedly, he's invisible.

Madara knocked my kunai out of his neck range coolly and sneered, "Now, acting that way isn't going to get you anywhere."

"Just tell me and stop stalling. I don't have time for this." I took a step back and put the kunai back in my holster. I plopped to the ground and whispered, "Tell me the truth, please. I _need_ it."

I didn't care if I was talking to Madara or if I was talking to a dead goat. I needed the truth. I needed to know what happened and why. Most importantly, _who_.

As for now, I can trust Madara. I don't have any other choice.

Madara sighed and rubbed his hands together. With one clap, he began to tell me the truth.

}{}{}{}{

**Sai's POV**

What is she doing? Who is she talking to?

I was up in a tree, hiding behind the thick branches and leaves. I took off my mask and let it hang on my neck as I watched Sakura talk to this mystery man. She was trembling, out of fear or anger, I wasn't sure, but I didn't know what to do.

Should I intervene? I mean, it didn't look like the man meant any harm to her. It seemed to be that Sakura approached this man first.

Still in my train of thought, I felt eyes on me. I look up from my trance and meet Sakura's piercing green eyes.

_Oh shit. _

There were tears running along her long pale face, trickling down her red lips. She glared at me with such intensity and hate that I didn't know was capable for her. Her eyes looked frazzled, confused and hurt. They looked more than just hurt, they looked furious.

It was a face I'd never seen on her before, and I've known her since we were kids. She was my best friend; we basically lived with each other. Both of us had gone through some bad times, and we got through them, _together. _This was the first time I had ever seen such _hate_ in someone's eyes.

Being an ANBU member, I've seen a lot in my day. I've seen people killing their own kin to save their secrets to eating each other to preserve their livelihood. All of those people were crazy, deranged through their own desire to keep their secrets from the world.

If I could rate Sakura's eyes with theirs, she would top them, no problem.

I looked away, set my ANBU mask back in place, and dashed off. I needed to tell someone about this.

Who was this mystery man? Why was _Sakura_ talking to him? She was the last person I would think of that would even consider talking to someone like that. He was shady, conspicuous, and hard to read. There was something fishy going on, and I had to figure it out.

}{}{}{}{

**Sakura's POV**

He…he can't be serious. No…just no. It can't be true.

I can't do this. This is too much. Why…why is this happening to me? Why not someone else?

I dropped to my knees, trembling. As stunned as I was, I couldn't hide my tears. At least, not in front of Madara.

Madara stood in front of me, frowning. His eyes almost looked filled with guilt and sorrow as he watched me crumble.

I'm falling and I can't stop. I feel as if I'm drowning, unable to come back to the surface.

I don't think I can ever come back.

Now, it's just me and world.

**Fuck** the world.

}{}{}{}{

**Madara's POV**

I can practically feel her hate and despair. It was coming off her in waves of pure fury.

Perfect.

I watched her as she toppled to the ground, shaking and sobbing. It looked as if killing her would have been better for her. She looked like an agonizing animal, waiting for some hunter to come along and take her out of her misery.

Unfortunately for her, I would keep the hunter away from her at all costs.

My mental checklist popped in the back of my head. Phase 1: to turn Haruno Sakura away from the light, check.

Now, on to Phase two: destroy Konoha.

Thanks to her two idiotic teammates, his last attempt to eliminate Konoha was a complete failure. They blocked him from his goal, which was the Hokage's death.

As their lazy yet incredibly smart teammate would say: what a drag.

I snapped out of my thought bubble and focused my attention onto Sakura. She was now fully aware of the truth.

Sorry, little girl, but the truth hurts. When has it ever _not_ hurt?

I've been around for a very long time, and I'm done waiting for my goals. With this girl, I'm going to finally achieve them.

Haruno Sakura, you'd better ready. From tonight on, you are under my control, _my influence_. And no one is going to save you.

}{}{}{}{

**Normal POV **

Sai sprinted down the dirt road, gently pushing Konoha citizens out of the way. He needed to get to the Hokage and tell her what he saw. He didn't want to believe it, but he saw what he saw.

It was too clear.

Sakura was going to leave, following this mystery man to G-d knows where. Without anybody to follow her, that man could kill or hurt her.

Sai had multiple suspects in mind. Orochimaru? No, Sasuke killed him. ANBU investigators made sure that they thoroughly cleared the bloody scene. The Akatsuki? Last he heard, they were in a state of retirement. They had enough of the pain and sorrow the world caused. With Madara out of their hair, they became a peaceful group. They only fought when they believed that it was the right time to fight. Madara? Naruto and Sasuke eliminated him, or at least that's what they said.

Sai reached the long staircase leading to the Hokage's front door. Pumping a bit of chakra to his feet, he jumped and gently on the staircase ledge. Shizune, holding a bundle of papers, fumbled in surprise as she saw Sai leap above her and towards the Hokage's room.

Turning around sharply, she called, "She's in a me-!"

But Sai was already inside, closing the door on her.

_Stupid ANBU, thought Shizune. _

}{}{}{}{

Sai closed the door behind him quietly and turned around to face the Hokage. To his surprise, Sakura's two teammates were already seated two comfortable-looking chairs. Both of them turned to look at the person opening the door, only to realize it was Sakura's best friend, Sai.

Naruto snickered and Sasuke rolled his eyes. Sai returned their cynical attitudes with a scoff.

Tsunade rolled her eyes and ordered, "Sai, what is so important that you had to barge in on my conversation with these two idiots?"

Naruto was about to contradict her on her previous statement, but Sai interrupted him. "It's about Sakura," Sai looked at Sasuke and Naruto. "I think she's in trouble."

An awkward silence filled the room. Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples. "Yes, I am fully aware that she's in trouble," she smirked, "She's always been in trouble."

Suddenly, Sai cried, "No! I think she's _really _in trouble!" He stepped in front of her and smacked his palm against the wooden desk. It creaked due to the force of his hit. "I saw her talking with someone not too long ago," Sai looked waveringly at Naruto and Sasuke. "It was someone I didn't recognize."

Tsunade's attention immediately focused on Sai. "Who is this person? Describe him for me."

"I couldn't tell. He was wearing all black, so it cloaked his appearance. His voice was deep, scratchy even," Sai put his hand to the back of his neck, trying to sooth his worry. "He was about Sasuke's height. He was muscular, but not big."

Tsunade dropped her hands to her lap. Too many things were going on for her right now, and now Sakura wants to drop a bomb on her too?

Can't the world just stop for a second?

With the elders on her back practically chewing off her ears to Naruto and Sasuke returning, Sakura just _had_ to add more to that **large** situation.

Tsunade waved her thin arms and mumbled, "Take a seat, Sai."

Sai followed her orders and took a seat next to Naruto. Naruto glared at Sai. Sai returned the same look.

Snapping their attention towards Tsunade, she announces, "Sai, Naruto and Sasuke are here about Sakura too," Tsunade takes a sip of her tea before continuing. "Apprently, Sakura never returned home after her shift today at the hospital."

"That's because she was with that man."

Naruto scoffed and yelled, "No shit, Sherlock!" Sasuke nudged him in the stomach with his elbow and rolled his eyes.

Sai glared and Naruto for his previous comment and continued, "What should we do then, oh great one? Should we go talk to her like you tried?" Sai scoffed. "Like that did any help what so ever."

Naruto's face turned slightly red. Naruto blurted, "No! I-I mean, we could just see what she does," Naruto looked up at Sasuke and Tsunade confidently. "I trust her."

"Yea, so do I," Sai muttered, "but leaving her be won't stop her from leaving."

Naruto's azure eyes widened. "Leave?"

Surprised, Sai looked at Naruto with an emotionless face. "You didn't notice? Her constant hatred, her cold demeanor?" Sai pointed at Sasuke. "She is exactly like him, but five years later. Unfortunately," Sai sighed, "Sakura is even more stubborn that that ass over there."

Sasuke scowled, "She doesn't know what she's doing. We'll just snap some sense into her."

Sai growled at Sasuke and kicked his chair. Sasuke jolted sideways from Sai's kick. Sai growled, "She's not a dog; you can't just make her listen to you!"

"Then what else should we do, Mr. I do everything right?"

Sai started to roll his thumbs together in thought. His eyebrows twitched and his lips pursed forward. He mumbled, "I don't know."

Tsunade watched as the three boys began to bicker about their female companion. Naruto was kicking Sasuke and Sai repeatedly while Sai and Sasuke were cursing at each other. Tsunade smiled gently. She took a swing of her tea (which was really alcohol) and leaned back into her chair.

Being Hokage was hard work, harder than she thought. She wondered if Naruto could even handle half the stress she juggled on a daily basis. Gross elders breathing down her neck, citizens asking for things that were impossible, and to friends who were destroying themselves from the inside out. These things were hard enough, but with mounds of paper work along with that…Naruto just might crack.

Hell, she was close to cracking.

Tsunade looked at the picture of her, Sakura, and Shizune. Sighing, she acknowledged something within herself. She knew that Sakura was eventually going to leave, but she didn't know Sakura was going to turn into…well…_Sasuke_. Or at least a mirror image of him. Tsunade thought that Sakura would leave to clear her head, to find a new path to follow, but not this.

She wouldn't allow it.

Tsunade saw Kakashi when Sasuke left. Even though he covered it up as best as he could, she could see the suffering in his eyes. His failure as a teacher, it practically ate him up.

She won't let that happen to herself. She certainly won't let anything happen to Sakura. Sakura was her first apprentice, her first daughter in sense. She won't lose her like she lost Dan and her younger brother.

Tsunade looked up from the picture and observed the still bickering three boys in front of her.

Either it was them or her that would stop Sakura, even if they had to stop her by force. Worst comes to worst, Tsunade would, in all her power, kill Sakura.

She knew what Sakura was capable of. If Sakura really did leave, she would be the biggest threat to Konoha since Uchiha Madara.

As the Hokage, her duty was to prevent that horrible incident from ever happening again.

Tsunade chuckled to herself. Too bad she was failing miserably.

It was inevitable. Sakura will leave soon, follow some mystery man, and swear vengeance on Konoha. She will return, stronger than she already was, and come to destroy everything in her path. Tsunade lowered eyes, trying to not let the tears that miraculously appeared in her eyes fall. She looked up and wiped her eyes quickly before the boys noticed. If Naruto saw her crying, he wouldn't leave her alone.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai all know Sakura's past. Her fate was horrible, atrocious even. It was probably worse than Sasuke's past. And we all know how that turned out.

As far as Sakura knew, her three "friends" didn't know a thing about her past. She didn't want them to, so when she graduated the Academy, she asked the Third if he could keep her past a secret.

Hell, even Kakashi didn't know.

Tsunade didn't figure out Sakura's past until she was brushing up on some old notes the old geezer left behind for her. An entire scroll was dedicated to her and her horrific past. Tsunade nearly gagged while reading the scroll.

It took all of her power not to burn that scroll, removing its disgusting contents from the world. But, she kept reading.

Something fishy appeared. It was something that was too odd, too out of the ordinary. Tsunade kept reading, trying to decipher what the Third was trying to say.

Tsunade gasped. Her eyes darted from one side of the scroll to another.

Uchiha Madara…Haruno Hatsuki…Haruno Kimiko…Uchiha Fugaku…_Uchiha Itachi_…it was all too familiar. They were all related…in some way…..

Naruto slammed his hands on the table, trying to grab Tsunade from her trance like state. Tsunade jumped and growled, "What'd you do that for?"

"You were mumbling to yourself! I was freaked out!"

"I was thinking! Calm down, you idiot!" Tsunade scrambled out of her chair, pulled the three stunned boys by the collar, and threw them out of her office. "Don't come back without a solution to our problem!"

Tsunade slammed the door in their dumbfounded faces. She smirked, but quickly walked to her book stand. Grabbing the last book on the bottom shelf, Tsunade felt the walls vibrate as the bookshelf flipped open, revealing a secret room.

She lit the lamp that was on the ground in the cavern and walked down into the hallway. A large vast library was found. Tsunade placed the lamp on a table, which was positioned in the middle of the room.

After a couple hours, she found the scroll she was thinking about before Naruto interrupted her train of thought. Tsunade rolled her eyes.

She tucked the scroll under her arm and sauntered out of the library. Closing her bookcase behind her, she opened the scroll on her desk. She sat comfortably down and turned on a lamp.

_Let's get started. _


	16. Would You Like to Restart?

**Sasuke's POV**

_Where is she? _

I jumped from roof to roof trying to find her. I didn't see one speck of pink hair or red uniform. All I saw was darkness, only to be shined on by a few lamp posts.

To my right was Naruto and he was frantic, hysterical even. We haven't seen Sakura since morning, and now it was around 3:00 am, six hours past the end of her shift.

Sai told us she was talking a strange man, but he couldn't define his features enough to identify him. But Naruto and I knew who he was. He was the one who freed us from the jail cell, not that we left willingly anyway.

"_Aren't you two in a little twist?" _

_Naruto and I looked up to find our worst enemy standing before us. Naruto tried to get up, but his broken toes commanded him to sit back down. He hissed, either from the pain or the fact that Madara was in front of us. I didn't even try to get up; it would be futile. Don't get me wrong, I hate that bastard. Who doesn't? But our current position doesn't give us a great advantage in fighting him. Hell, we could barely talk due to the drugs. _

_Naruto was the first to talk. He assumed, "You're going to take us back, aren't you?" I can feel Naruto's chakra building intensely. I nudged him with my foot, even though it was painful. _

_Naruto snapped out of his temper and looked at me. I stared at him, trying to tell him not to do anything stupid. He lifted his thumb, signaling that he got the message. _

_Madara chuckled and walked in front of us. He held a kunai, which made Naruto fidget just a bit. I kept a cool face, but it wasn't easy. _

_With a precise slice, he cut our chakra ropes off our wrists. He stepped back and took a seat on the dirt-covered cement floor. I watched him cautiously, waiting for him to strike. But, surprisingly, he never did anything threatening. He met my gaze and held it. _

_Unexpectedly, Naruto blurted, "Why are you here!" Madara turned his attention from me to dobe. _

_He tilted his head and claimed, "I'm not here for you. I'm here for someone else." _

_Naruto's eyebrows furrowed and his lips pierced. I looked at Madara and then at Naruto. What was he talking about? Who did he want, other than us? _

_Madara stood up, brushed his cloak to get the dirt off, and turned around. He stepped out of the cell and fixed his mask. "You'll know who I'm after," he explained, "I don't think you'll like it that much though." _

_Naruto tried standing up again and failed. He whispered, "Who are you talking about?" _

_Madara turned around to face us. "The doors are open. Leave anytime you want." _

_And with that, he left. I watched him use his stupid time and space jutsu to disappear from the dungeons. I snickered and looked and Naruto, who was fuming. _

_Rolling my eyes, I inhaled and exhaled, trying to control my temper. Naruto began to curse at Madara. _

_I gave into my temper and cursed along with him. I hate that man, so much. _

}{}{}{}{

**Sakura's POV**

Madara left while I was having a mental breakdown. Before he jumped away, he told me that if I wanted to leave, I would have to meet him at the Heaven Bridge right on the outskirts of Konoha. I had three days to make my decision.

My decision was obvious. I will leave in three days and come back for my revenge. I will come back _my_ way, not his. He won't control me.

I'm not going to become Sasuke, that's for sure. I refuse to. Yea, we both have the same…views as each other, but it doesn't mean I'm going to hurt anyone I care about. I still care about Naruto, Kakashi, Ino…and the list goes on and on. I won't touch them, unlike Sasuke, who was determined to have his revenge, even if it meant slicing and dicing through his friends. Madara may try to repeat the past, but I've learned from Sasuke's mistakes.

The list has changed a bit though. Some people were cut off. I'll take care of that later.

Sasuke's mistake was that he was practically Madara's bitch. He was under his control, and he fell so deep he couldn't pull himself out. Madara took advantage of that, until Naruto came around. He pulled Sasuke out of the dark abiss that he was stuck in, just in the nick of time. I'll make sure he won't do that to me.

He assumes that he has control over me, but he's got another thing coming.

Bitch, come at me. Let's see who's standing in the end.

}{}{}{}{

"Sakura! There you are!"

I turn around to see Naruto and Sasuke rushing towards me. Sweat dribbled off their face and splashed onto their t-shirts. Naruto caught up to me and put his hands on his knees. He held his hand up and struggled to say something. Sasuke stood next to him, panting. He almost leaned on Naruto's shoulder, but quickly recovered himself.

Naruto looked up from his momentary exhaustion and asked, "Where were you? We've been looking for you for hours!"

I tilted my head and replied, "I was taking a walk." My eyes narrowed as I saw Sasuke glare at me for just as second before he looked away.

My heart dropped from my chest to my feet.

Sai told them. Fuck.

That stupid fucker. I knew that I saw him; why didn't I stop him? I saw him, sitting in that tree, watching me. Madara didn't see him though, thank G-d.

Great, I bet Sai told those two idiots and Tsunade. My plans are ruined. They'll watch me 24/7, never giving me some alone time.

I felt my hand tremble in anger and my mouth twitching. I remembered that I wasn't alone, so I tried to control my emotions. Naruto and Sasuke were still staring at me, waiting for me to elaborate on my exceeding long "walk".

I sighed and put my hands on their shoulders. "Don't worry about me. I take walks sometimes, no big deal." I took my hands off their shoulders and turned around, intending to walk back to my apartment, but something stopped me.

Sasuke's hand was wrapped around my wrist, sqeezing gently. "Where were you _really_?" His eyes flashed from onyx to blood red. "Tell us the truth, Sakura."

I undid my wrist from his grip and looked at him with amusement. "That is none of your business, Sasuke." Before they could ask my any more questions, I laughed, "How about we go to Ichiraku's, Naruto? I haven't been there in a long time."

Naruto looked at me with surprise. He hadn't heard me laugh since the moment he got back in the village. His eyes tapered as he watched me cautiously, trying to analyze my every word. He leaned on the ball of his feet and grinned. "Sure, Sakura-chan!"

I watched as he scampered off in front of me, excited for some ramen. It was just me and Sasuke, walking in awkward silence behind him. I guess Sasuke recognized this awkwardness and picked up his pace to meet Naruto.

My eyes narrowed and my lips thinned into a thin red line. They were going to watch me. They knew, obviously, and they were wary about me.

I glanced in front me and I saw Naruto and Sasuke whispering with each other. They were probably planning a way to keep me here in this god-forsaken village.

I began to contemplate some sort of plan to gain their trust. I wanted to "re-assure" them that I had no intentions of leaving the village. I scoffed to myself. Rolling my eyes, I sighed. A plan struck in my head.

I guess step one was asking Naruto for some ramen while laughing and giggling like some sort of love-struck idiot. Step two would be to turn back into the twelve year old version of me; the one who was overly infatuated with Sasuke and the one who would always yell at Naruto.

If that's what it takes, then I'll do it.

They'll never stop me. Not until I have what I want...what I need.

}{}{}{}{

After a couple blocks and a couple corner turns, we found ourselves standing in front of the infamous Ichiraku Ramen shop. The smell of beef broth and dough wafted into our faces as we lifted the curtain into the shop. I could hear the dough being slammed onto the wooden table and the slicing of the pork into little strips.

Naruto dashed toward a seat at the booth and sat down. The booth was lined up with swivel chairs, so as Naruto would be Naruto, he began twirling around and around. I don't know how he didn't get dizzy; it was dizzy enough to look at him.

He stopped as soon as Sasuke sat down gracefully. Fortunately for me, he wasn't Naruto, so swirling around on a little chair wasn't his style. He placed his elbows on the booth table and laced his fingers together, which he then rested his head on them.

I scoffed mentally. Tch. Typical Sasuke pose. Does he always have to sit like that? It's like he was a giant pole stuffed up his ass.

I smirked to myself. He probably does from all those years in Orochimaru's little play house and from Madara's clutches.

Naruto kept swiveling and swiveling until Sasuke's pale arm grabbed onto the cushion, stopping Naruto from his entertainment. Sasuke flashed his Sharingan and growled, "Stop that, dobe. You're making everyone dizzy."

For once Sasuke, you actually said something that wasn't just benefiting yourself.

Naruto frowned and plopped his ninja sandals on the green tile. He started to pout, almost looking as if he was about to break down and cry like a sick little puppy dog. Sasuke looked at Naruto from the corner of his eye and sighed.

Naruto will always be Naruto.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. I _did_ say that I would pretend to be twelve year old Sakura, right? Why not start now?

I giggled. Out loud.

Naruto looked up from his sorrows and gasped. His mouth dropped to the ground and his cobalt eyes widened in amazement. His eyebrow twitched and his large fingers jerked around, as if they suddenly had the urge to hug me.

Please don't.

Sasuke, on the other hand, looked up from his bruiting. If he was shocked, he sure as hell didn't show it, but I could tell. He uncurled his fingers and rested them on his lap. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, frowning.

Continuing with my act, I smiled. Well, almost smiled. I tried to make it as genuine as possible. I guess they believed me because Naruto jumped up from his seat and tackled me. I could feel my lungs being compressed by his immense strength. I gasped, "N-naruto! Let go of me!"

Naruto gulped. He slowly let me go and mumbled, "Sorry," He looked at me with his twinkling blue eyes, full of wonder and shock. "You giggled. And smiled!" He sat back down and laughed. His laughter boomed throughout of the restaurant, making citizens look at them. "I didn't see you break a smile since we came back. And that was some time ago."

"I didn't have a reason to laugh or smile, you idiot!" I smacked his head, just as I did before. He smirked and looked at me with happiness.

It almost broke my heart knowing that I was going to leave.

I shook my head mentally. I had to do this, for me.

He grabbed his head and groaned. "You haven't hit me in a long time, Sakura-chan," He raised his eyebrow and leaned against the table. "What's the occasion?"

"Does there have to be an occasion for everything, Naruto?" I laughed and flicked my medium- length hair behind my shoulder.

I could practically feel Naruto's happiness radiating off of him in waves. Sasuke's, on the other hand, was normal.

I rolled my eyes. Obviously he didn't give a shit.

Naruto saw my eye roll and rolled his along with mine. He knew what I was thinking. Everything always broke down to one person, Sasuke.

He was the person who ruined everything. If he had just stayed, everything would have been ok. Naruto and I wouldn't be so…messed up. Of course, when we were little genin squirts, his usual cold demeanor and constant glares made him unapproachable. He was unpredictable, but not the unpredictable that Naruto was.

As we grew together, learning more about each other and finding our strengths and weaknesses, Sasuke became a part of us, of our daily lives together. I even think that we eventually became accepted by him.

Back then, it would have been impossible to think about waking up the next day, only to find one of us missing. We were so attached, inseparable. I wonder what happened.

I glared at my hands, which were now clenching the table edge. Oh yea! _He left._

Way to ruin everything, Sasuke.

}{}{}{}{

**Hi everyone! I know it's been a while since I've updated (don't shoot me!), but things have been going on that frankly I don't want to explain. **

**I love your reviews. I really do. Keep them going; I don't want them to stop! **

**I guess the last chapter really wasn't that great. I didn't get much feedback, so I'll try to make my stories a bit better. **

**With school and all, it's been a little bit hard to keep writing. I'll try and update as much as I can. **

**I'll try and keep this story rolling. I know that some of you are possible bored, maybe on the border line of deleting from your favorite author's list...=(. You probably don't even like this story anymore, am I right (hopefully wrong)? **

**I'll try and get better! Have faith in me and keep reviewing, that way I know that you guys don't hate this story yet! **

**Wow, after re-reading this little author's comment, I found out that I have no self-confidence in my writing. Wonderful. **

**Anyway, continue doing what you guys do best, which would be supporting me and my story, and I'll try and work harder for all of you. **

**Thanks! **

**-mdrm812- **


	17. Floating On Cloud 9

**Normal POV**

}{}{}{}{

"What is the point of this?" Sakura flicked the dirt away from underneath her finger nails and sighed. "I don't know how we lasted this long with a sensei that is always late." Leaning against a tall tree trunk, she flopped her arms to her side and sighed again. The weather was unbearably hot; sweat was dripping off her forehead, and she wasn't even training. The sun blazed down on her, as if it seemed to only want to make her hot. She glared at the sun, refusing to back down.

Naruto was sitting in the branch above her head, wafting his face with a fan. After a couple wafts, he started to create a breeze for Sasuke, who was sitting next to him. Lucky for them, boys had the luxury of taking their shirts off to adjust to the heat. Sakura groaned, inwardly of course.

Sasuke stretched his arms and curled his toes to prevent them from falling asleep. Snatching the fan out of Naruto hands, he agreed, "If he doesn't come in five more minutes, I'm leaving."

Sakura began to feel a burning sensation on her arms and legs. She knew what was happening to her body. She growled, "Now, I'm going to get a stupid sun-burn thanks to him."

"Thanks to who?" A puff of smoke appeared in front of them, and there he was. He was dressed in full shinobi clothing and was drinking a cup of lemonade. The ice jingled in the cup as all three team members stared at it with jealousy.

Naruto jumped out of the tree followed by Sasuke. He walked towards Kakashi and stood there, just staring at the masked ninja. Sasuke stood by Sakura, who was still wafting herself with her hands, not that it was helping.

After standing for approximately two minutes, Naruto knocked the lemonade out of Kakashi's hands. The cup flew into the dirt and created a dark circle in the sand. Sasuke and Sakura struggled not to laugh at Kakashi's half covered face, which was very surprised and annoyed by Naruto flicking his ice-cold drink away. Naruto demanded, "Were you drinking a cup of lemonade while we were sitting in 100 degree weather?" Naruto pumped his arm in the air and cried, "Don't you see us suffering in the heat, waiting for _you-" _Naruto jabbed his finger into Kakashi's vest—"to come?"

Kakashi put his arms up in defense and lied, "I was also helping—"

"Liar! You were drinking _ice cold_ lemonade while we—" Naruto pointed his fingers at Sakura and Sasuke, who were just staring at their sensei and their teammate's dispute. "were waiting for you to come! For two hours! In 100 degree weather!" Naruto created a shadow clone and began to create the rasengan. "I'll teach you not to come late, ever!" With that, Naruto jumped and thrusted the blue swirling ball of chakra at his sensei. Kakashi gasped in surprise and jumped away in the nick of time. Naruto growled as he felt Kakashi's chakra fade away.

Again, Sasuke and Sakura were sitting next to each other, waiting for this fight to be over. Sakura didn't even know what the fight was about. Something about waiting, but when was that ever a problem? She assumed that Naruto was used to this, but she guessed that the heat was just getting to her blonde teammate.

Sasuke leaned against the tree trunk just like Sakura. He stared at the leaves above him, watching the sun peak through each crack that the leaves created. A little fly zipped around his face and flew off into the jungle behind them. He changed his focus to Naruto, who was still yelling and cursing at Kakashi, who was nowhere to be found. Sasuke rolled his eyes. Kakashi probably already left, refusing to meet Naruto's wrath. That dobe was just too stupid to realize that his sensei already left.

"He left, right? "whispered Sakura.

"Yea."

}{}{}{}{

Sakura was browsing through the weapons shop, picking up kunai and trying out the grip. There were many different types of weapons ranging from simple throwing knives to large spears, all ready to spill blood and guts. A katana was already in Sakura's hand. It looked like a simple sword, black sheath with a red rope wrapped around the hilt.

Content with her weaponry, she walked towards the cash register, fully intended on buying these deadly instruments. She set the basket gently onto the counter and picked all of her weaponry out of the container.

10 kunai, 10 shurikan, 1 katana, and 15 paper bombs.

The man who owned the shop appeared behind the curtain behind the counter. He watched warily as Sakura picked up the shurikan one by one, just to make sure that each weapon was sharpened to perfection. He knew what she was capable of. She _was _the current Hokage's apprentice. Her name was well known across the lands as a sign of terror or hope. She could save anybody and kill anybody with deadly precision. On top of all that, her teammates were well known missing nins, one of which was a S-class criminal. He gulped as she flicked the top of the kunai, seeing if any metal shavings would flick off because of unprofessional metal carving. He could practically feel the deadly aura she gave off, but it was comforting, oddly enough. It was as if someone was cutting him slowly, but whispering sweet gentle words to him. He shivered; shuddering in the thought of someone so beautiful could be that deadly.

After all, she was a child to him. He was at the ripe at 65. She looked around her late teens, early twenties. It was almost a 45 year difference. He sees the youth today, fighting as ninja, sacrificing their lives for the lives of others. He shook his head. They weren't supposed to live like that. Children were supposed to be innocent, pure. The adults were supposed to be the ones corrupted by society, the ones who were blind and immoral. Adults are cruel to others, disregarding each other's wishes. He frowned as she pulled a stack of paper bombs out of her basket.

Unfortunately for the world, children could be cruel too.

He snapped out of his thinking trance as he saw her reaching for a katana. His eyes widened. That sword was advanced; he was surprised she even knew how to wield a sword of its strength. Even holding it steady was a problem for most skilled shinobi. He remembered the Fourth coming in for such a sword, but failed in wielding it.

Sakura felt his eyes burn into her hand as she reached for the katana. Flickering her eyes to him, she smirked. She could practically smell the anxiousness and sweat flow off of him. Was she that intimidating or was she just that pretty?

She frowned in disappointment. Did she just really say that, that she was really pretty? _Someone's getting self-centered…_

She shook her head and continued to reach for the katana. She picked it up gently and allowed the weapon to have a feel for her grip. As the man watched in awe, she placed her hand on the hilt and pulled the sword out slowly. She savored every glint, every sparkle the metal gave her. The corner of her lips rose slowly as she imagined slicing through her enemies and gutting the people that made her life this way.

_I am so messed up. _

Suddenly, she felt the weapon being shoved back into the sheath and ripped away from her hands. It was the old man, shuddering in fright from seeing her like that. He held the sword to his chest, as if he was clinging onto his life. His knuckles tightened around the hilt and his chest rose up and down, gasping for air.

Sakura looked at her empty hands before looking up to meet the terrified stare of the old man. She could feel him quaking in his shoes as he met her emotionless eyes. "Is there a problem, sir?" Sakura could feel her words hiss and struggle to come out as controlled as possible.

The man shook his head, still shaking. He slowly let go of the sword before slightly relaxing. He placed it on the counter and shook his head. "There is no problem," He glanced over her shoulder, looking to see if anybody else was in the shop. Chuckling, he picked up the sword and held it up to her.

Sakura raised her eyebrows and smiled gently. Before she could feel the cool wood on her fingertips, the man snatched the sword back. She growled, "What is your problem?"

He beamed as he saw blood vessels appear on her forehead. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?" He saw one slightly bulge from the question.

Sakura inhaled and exhaled, trying to control her frustration. What was this man's problem? She just wanted to get a sword before she leaves. She wanted to be prepared for anything, including long distance fighting. The sword she had right now was bare to the bone, hardly cutting anything.

"What is the question?" Sakura controlled a smile on her face. She could feel his terror turn to amusement. Did he enjoy her frustration? He better not, or she'll wipe that smile off his old face.

"Where did you find this sword?" He laced his fingers across the simple black sheath and fingered the red rope gently.

Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes. Such a stupid and simple question, why did he even bother asking? "I found it behind the rest of the katanas, at the corner of the store. Why?"

He shook his head and chuckled again. "I don't think you found the sword…I think if found you."

Sakura scoffed and chuckled in amusement. Maybe this old man was going senile. Katanas can't _find_ you. They're not alive. She repeated her thoughts to the old man, waiting for him to find some excuse to explain why the sword would choose her.

"You see, child-"He pulled the sword out of the sheath and held it in the air. "This sword is special. Not everyone can wield it." Sakura noticed that his hands began to shake violently. His fingers let go of the hilt, making the sword crash onto the counter with a bang. Sakura could feel the vibrations run through the metal sheets from the impact.

The old man chuckled and put the sword back in its sheath. Balancing it gently in his hands, he handed it to Sakura, who immediately pulled the sword back out and took it in her hands. She felt no struggle, no weariness from holding the sword. Shocked, she looked at the man with wide eyes. "I don't understand. Why?"

His eyes twinkled with excitement. "Because you are a Haruno." He put all of her other weapons in a paper bag and handed it to her. "Last of your kind."

Sakura grabbed the paper bag and tucked it underneath her arm, reaching for her purse. He waved his hand, refusing to accept her money. Sakura raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean…last of my kind?"

"When you first stepped into my shop, I didn't know you were a Haruno. I only knew you as the Hokage's apprentice, but from seeing you're skill with this sword…it showed me the truth."

Sakura frowned and shook her head. "It still doesn't make any sense. Explain, please."

The old man chuckled and rubbed his nose bridge. He sighed and smiled at Sakura's confusion. "You see, child, there are two people in the world that used this sword: the first Haruno, the founder of your clan, and Sukimo Haruno, your mother." He pointed at the katana that was held in Sakura's suddenly tight grip. "Looks like you're the next one, huh?"

}{}{}{}{

Walking into her small apartment, she looked to see if Naruto or Sasuke were around. The apartment seemed empty, so she walked into her room and placed the weapons on her table. Slowly storing them in her weapons pouch, she glanced at the katana. She also bought a sword holster from the odd weapon specialist. It was a simple belt: thin, black with gold swirls at the end near the metal clasps. She held them up, wrapped them around her thin waist, and snapped them in place. Picking up the katana, she slipped it into the small pouch on the side of the belt. It fit like a glove.

Smiling with glee, she quickly grabbed the katana and slashed the air. She could hear the air swoosh from being cut by her new sword. Her new sword…

The old man didn't say anything more than her mother and the founder wielding this sword. He did say that the sword always found its rightful master one way or another. She shuddered. Way to creepy. A sword shouldn't be able to do that ,not any normal sword at least. This sword couldn't have anything special in it, right? It's just metal, chiseled down to perfection. The metal gleamed and sparkled in the light. Sakura looked at it, mesmerized. It was hypnotizing and confusing.

Glancing at the clock on her night-stand, she saw that it was 2:46 pm. It has been three days since Madara's arrival and explanation. He did come yesterday, warning her that at exactly 2:50 pm was her time to escape. She didn't know why or how, but she just nodded, refusing to meet the bastard's piercing gaze.

Focusing her chakra to her feet, she fleeted across her room, packing and tossing things into her bag. She only brought the essentials which included all of the new weapons she bought today. Placing the katana securely to her waist and the bag strapped around her shoulders, she looked one last time in her room.

When she stepped out of her apartment, locking it behind her, she felt a blast of familiar chakra slam her in the face. It was Madara's. She narrowed her eyes in the air, wondering what he was planning.

She looked at her watch. 2:50. Stepping out into the busy street, she glanced around her, wondering if anybody noticed this odd chakra. No one seemed to be noticing anything. She frowned. It seemed to be that Madara focused his chakra onto her, warning her of something. Her eyes shot up. Of course..._her escape_. He was going to place a diversion, giving her a chance to escape this god-forsaken village.

She jumped onto a roof and looked into the distance. A smirk appeared on her usually gentle yet fierce face. She could see a dust cloud approaching. Looking towards the Hokage's Tower, she noticed that Tsunade didn't even notice. She focused chakra to her eyes, trying to sharpen her gaze. It seemed to be that she was talking to her three teammates: Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai.

Next, she saw them poof away after a quick nod and a few word exchanges. Sakura saw Tsunade pull out a bottle of sake and pour it into her cup. Rolling her eyes, she focused her attention at the dust cloud. It looked about 5 miles due east. She licked her fingers and held it in the air. The wind was approximately 15 mph.

She had about…30 minutes until the dust cloud landed in Konoha. Looking down on the streets, she saw Ino, Tenten, and Hinata giggling in the streets, holding onto each other shaking with laughter. Their pale beautiful faces glistened with sweat. They were training together, like friends. Envy flared throughout Sakura's mind. She wanted to be a part of their jokes, of their happiness.

Sakura was once. She was with them, laughing and smiling like no tomorrow, but as time passed, she noticed that all of that happiness was a lie. Guilt consumed her because she felt as if she was lying to her best friends, so she distanced herself to the point where she couldn't look at them without feeling tightness in her chest. As time passed even more, she felt nothing. No remorse, no guilt…it was as if they didn't know each other at all.

Sakura wished she could be a part of that again, but it was too late. She was leaving in thirty minutes under the cover of dust. She sneered. Madara sure had good plans. Who would've thought of using a dust storm to cover them? It was the perfect cover. The sand would cover any tracks or trace of any movement. The chaos would also be a great diversion.

10 minutes had gone by while she stared at her old friends and contemplated how great Madara's plan was. Looking at the blaring sun, she sighed. The sun did hate her.

}{}{}{}{

An immense dust cloud swallowed the village of Konoha like it was some sort of insect. People started to panic, creating chaos within the busy districts and streets. Shinobi were flocking around the citizens, trying to protect them from this gigantic dust cloud. It came out of nowhere but the shinobi knew that. Tsunade knew that.

She knew someone summoned it as soon as she felt a grain of sand reach her village's gates. A light wave of chakra was mixed within the dusty mixture, creating the immediate assumption that a ninja was behind this.

She was just minding her own business, drinking a bit of sake like any normal day, when she sensed something amuck. Looking outside her window, she saw a large puff in the distance. Unfortunately, she ignored it, thinking that it was some other village having some kind of dispute. She thought that they shouldn't be involved, considering that other villages were already threatening her for keeping Uchiha Sasuke alive. As Hokage, it was her duty to stay of war for her citizens, which is what she was trying to do.

Now, looking at her fellow citizens panicking and scrambling to get into shelter, she looked at her mistake. How could she have been so careless? She should have sent a group of chunnin to at least check it out. Konoha wasn't a city built for sandstorms. The only village she knew of that was protected against these natural disasters was the Village Hidden in the Sand.

Noticing the odd chakra mixed with the sand, she sent all available shinobi and kunoichi to evacuate the citizens into shelter. She ordered them to tell everyone to lock ever door and block every nook and crack with some sort of cloth. No sand was to enter the houses. Tsunade also ordered a medical team to be dispatched to collect data from the sand. She wanted to see if the sand was poisoned or contaminated in any way. There was a high probability that it was.

Tsunade put on her special Hokage hat and wrapped it around her chin. Packing a kunai and a few soldier and blood pills, she stepped outside her room and out of the building. Immediately, she felt her lungs constrict and struggle to obtain air. She felt as if someone was squeezing her throat. As a medical expert, she poured a bit of chakra into her esophagus and lungs to relieve the tension. The action had an immediate effect, making her breathe easier in the wrath of the storm.

Flashing in front of her was Gai, who was struggling to breathe in the storm. He leaned on his knees as he tried to bow to his leader. Tsunade, using her automatic medical skills, placed her hand on his throat and released a little flow of chakra toward his lungs. With a large gasp of air, Gai inhaled without swallowing any bit of sand. The chakra in his throat was like a filter, grabbing all of the sand and circulating it out of his body as he exhaled.

Gai smiled brightly and thanked the Hokage before he fleeted off into the distance. Tsunade summoned Katsuya with flashing hand signs. Katsuya poofed in the air, landing with a large bang on the dirt ground. Tsunade ordered her to split apart and attach herself onto every shinobi out in the field. Katsuya broke apart into little slugs while Tsunade watched them slither away.

A flash of pink appeared from the corner of Tsunade's amber eyes. Following the streak with lightning speed, Tsunade stopped her tracks. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She finally figured out the point of this sand storm.

It was a cover-up, a diversion for Sakura to escape, thanks to that mysterious man.

Tsunade lifted her head up and snapped her eyes onto her target. She could see Sakura's form disappearing in the storm. The tired Hokage contemplated on what she should do about her lost apprentice. Should she call the ANBU or take care of her herself? Better yet, should she summon her teammates?

An idea popped into her mind. Grabbing the closest shinobi near her, she yelled, "Get everyone from Konoha 9 to the main gates, understood?"

The confused yet panicked shinobi nodded and saluted his leader. He bit his thumb and slammed it into the floor. A giant mouse appeared before him. It nodded its heavy head, confirming its mission. Like Katsuya, it broke up into many little mice, squirming away from the Hokage.

She sighed and looked at the direction Sakura was sprinting to, the gates.

The dust storm suddenly grew larger and thicker. She couldn't see past her fingertips, let alone see a food ahead of her. She sighed as she felt the sand glide across her skin.

With any luck, her friends will stop her. Hopefully.

She chuckled. Shouldn't she have learned by now that hope was a useless in a shinobi world? She grinned and smiled at the cloud, hoping that the person who conjured this storm up could see it.

Take that, you bastard.

}{}{}{}{

**Hey my wonderful readers! **

**I worked really hard on this chapter, so I hope there aren't any grammatical mistakes…hopefully? **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter and REVIEW! I loved the last reviews, they really do make my day. **

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**I wish I could, but that would be weird…^^**

**Again, review and comment on this chapter. This is a great turning point in this story, so I hope that you guys understood what was going on. **

**Thanks again and I love all of you! **

**-mdrm812- **


	18. Don't

Landing in front of the enormous gates blocking the forest from the village, Sakura sat down and prayed. She prayed for many things, for example, her family. She also prayed for her friends' safety, which included Sasuke, unfortunately. Even though she still hasn't forgiven him or Naruto, she still knew, deep down, that she kind of loves them. Sakura smirked and closed her eyes. She breathed in the crisp air around her, savoring and memorizing the smell of her…home.

"Freeze!"

Sakura tilted her eyes toward her left, straining to see who called her name. Without moving her head, she snickered and barked out a laugh. "Who is it? Neji? Or is it Shikamaru?" Sakura stood up slowly, raising her arms above her head. "See! No weapons!" Her voice rang with another heartless laugh.

Neji stared at her head, wishing that she would turn around to acknowledge him. He hadn't seen her in a year, with both of them being so busy and all. Rolling his eyes, he admitted that he held feelings for the obnoxious girl, but that was irrelevant at the moment. The most important thing at the moment was to take this crazed girl back into her apartment and lock her up. Orders are orders, and even if it means bringing her back in pieces, so be it.

Next to him on both sides was the rest of Konoha 9, all of which stared at Sakura's pink head of hair. Ino's eyes were widened with disbelief. When she heard the order, she thought that it was some kind of joke. No way would Sakura ever leave Konoha. Ino blinked away tears. No way would Sakura ever leave her.

Sakura felt Ino's chakra flare. Slowly turning around with her hands on the back of her head, she grinned at all of her friends before her. They all shuddered.

Sakura yapped out another laugh. "You all actually came out?" She pointed at herself in fake disbelief. Her green eyes widened and her mouth curled in a sneer. "How cute." Placing her gloved hand on the hilt of her newly bought katana, she chuckled. "Are you all here to stop me?" She raised a thin pink eyebrow. "I'm honored. I didn't know you all cared _that_ much for me!"

Sasuke mentally flinched as he heard that maniacal laugh ring out of Sakura's usually playful mouth. He has never seen her this way, and he didn't like it. He also placed his hand on his katana and focused vigorously at her hand, watching for any sudden movements. If anybody on Konoha 9 knew anything about katanas and sword fighting, Sasuke did. He glanced at Naruto, who was frozen stiff at the sight of Sakura's insanity.

Tenten bared her scroll, waiting for the signal from Neji. She didn't care if Sakura was her best friend; it was her duty to protect the village and to protect Sakura. She wanted to take care of them both, not just one. So, for Sakura's sake and the village's sake, she decided to defeat Sakura and protect her from herself, help her through whatever she's struggling with.

Sakura closed her viridian eyes, feeling the breeze lick her ears and neck. She breathed in and out, listening for anything Konoha 9 might pull on her. She heard nothing, which confused her. They were just standing there, as if they expected her to just give up and walk home with them. She inwardly growled. Sakura wanted to prove them wrong. As much as she loved all of them, she couldn't let her emotions get in her way. She didn't want her humanity to blind her from her goal. Sakura decided to become an empty shell to face Madara. Having emotions would just fuel him, letting him control and bend her to his will.

It was like a switch. She imagined herself walking through her mind, climbing up stairs. Up and up she went, until she reached one black door. Turning it's brass knob, she saw only one thing: a switch. Above the switch labeled: Off or On? Sakura pictured herself reaching for the switch, which was currently on, and switching it off.

Something snapped. Her humanity was off. Her emotions were off. Instantly, she opened her eyes, revealing to her fellow companions how serious she was. No longer would she cower behind them; she would defeat every one of them. Like the empty shell she was, Sakura wrapped her fingers around her katana and slashed it in front of her, stepping into fighting stance.

Konoha 9 was surprised. Shocked even. Ino dropped the kunai that was in her hand out of disbelief. Lee's hands jerked to his sides, astonishment flashed on his face.

_Bad move. _

Sakura watched as Ino's kunai plunged to the ground. As if she was in a slow motion movie, she flickered in front of Ino and smashed the hilt of the katana in her stomach, watching her best friend double over in pain. Ino gasped, blood curling out of her throat. She landed in a cloud of dust, coughing and gasping for air.

In a flash, Sakura was standing above Ino's waist, holding the katana high in the air. Ino stared at the glimmering metal and at Sakura. Sakura's face was blank, as if someone erased her mind.

Ino desperately muttered, "D-don't."

Sakura sneered. She thrusted the katana downward, aiming for Ino's heart until she heard a clang. Sakura saw Shikamaru and Neji blocking her katana with their kunai's. Sakura growled with annoyance and smashed her katana to the ground. Using her weapon as leverage, she drop kicked both of them into the ground with a chakra-enhanced kick. Both boys smashed their faces in to the dirt, creating tiny craters around them.

Groaning, they struggled to get up. Discovering her opportunity, she picked up the kunai that both boys dropped and stabbed their hands into the ground, immobilizing them. Picking a kunai out of Ino's pouch, she turned around.

All of Konoha 9 flinched as they heard two of their strongest males scream in pain. Neji struggled to get up, but the kunai's were deeply embedded into his skin; he could do a thing. He was like a sitting duck, waiting for death. He felt as if he was the prey, and Sakura was the predator.

You could hear the leaves blowing in the wind, the flies buzzing through the sky. Nothing escaped any of their mouths. No one dared say anything. Sakura smirked. They probably didn't know what to say.

She held the kunai in her hand and stepped in a fighting stance. She wanted to immobilize all of them, making sure that none of them followed her out. Just as she was about to jump at her friends, she felt a hand on her arm. Reflex took over, forcing her to grab that hand and flipping it over her shoulder. The person groaned.

Sakura looked down and saw that it was Madara. Sighing, she dropped the kunai and helped him up. He brushed himself off and looked at her three teammates who were stabbed into the ground. Madara chuckled evilly. "Sakura! Look at what you did," He waved his cloaked arm at her teammates. "You scared them."

Sakura scoffed. "Are we leaving or what?"

Madara shook his head in amusement. He didn't know that she was capable of this. He assumed that her emotions would take over and prevent her from leaving, but life always seems to surprise him. No, this _girl_ surprised him.

Sakura picked up the kunai and threw it at the shocked Konoha 9 who was just standing a few feet away from them. Waving her arm, Sakura grinned sadistically, "Ja ne." She grabbed Madara's cloak and swirled away in a cloud of dust.

}{}{}{}{}{

"You didn't have to be so…harsh on them, my dear."

Sakura flashed in front of Madara, holding a katana in front of his neck. Growling, she barked, "Don't. Call. Me. Dear."

She lowered her tense arm and turned around. Sakura was standing in her new home, in her new room. A simple room: white walls, twin-sized bed, white sheets, a desk, and a closet. Madara smiled as he saw Sakura cozying up to her new room. He announced, "If you need anything, just call, _my dear_."

Sakura spun around, fully intending on ripping his throat off, until she saw him leave. Sakura sighed and rubbed her temples.

She lay down on the soft bed, surprised by the quality of the cotton. She wrapped the blanket around her until her neck and closed her eyes.

_No regrets, no guilt. _

}{}{}{}{}{

They watched as she blew away in the wind, disappearing as if she never existed. No one said anything. No one _could_ say anything, not that anyone wanted to say anything either.

All of them were lost. Where did they go wrong? What did they do to make her leave? Did they push her away?

Naruto broke the silence with a sob. His whole body shook as his hands raked through his blonde locks. He fell to his knees and with a final cry, he broke down. Naruto no longer stood high and proud in front of Konoha 9; he stood like someone was stripped of his dignity and passion. That was the lowest point anyone had seen of someone who was usually so bright. Sasuke put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, trying to show some kind of comfort to his best friend. The Uchiha prodigy sheathed his sword, regretting the hesitation he had shown Sakura. He could have taken her out easy, but he faltered, just had Ino. And look at her now.

Tenten raced to Ino's side, helping her up. She also pulled the kunais out of Shikamaru and Neji's hands. Both of them grunted as they felt the metal sheath out of their hands. Ino wrapped her arms around her body, as if she was trying to hold herself together. Her hair was frazzled and her soft blue eyes were twitching. Tenten looked down at her best friend and ran her arm through Ino's soft hair.

Shino, Kiba, and Hinata looked up from their sullen expressions. All of them were as sad, as miserable as anyone else. Sakura was there for them with a bright smile. She backed them up when they needed help. She also aided anyone who needed anything, even if it was something that was close to impossible. "No" wasn't in her vocabulary, well…most of the time it wasn't.

Hinata put her small hand on Kiba's shoulder and nodded. She mumbled, "I will go report to Tsunade-sama."

No one said anything to reply. Hinata sighed. With a poof of dust, she disappeared, along with Shino, Kiba, and Shikamaru. Naruto didn't acknowledge them leaving as he sat on the ground along with Ino. Sasuke tried to pick Naruto up, but he refused. Naruto was like a rock, stuck on the ground as if he was glued there.

Something snapped within him. Naruto, the top knuckle-headed ninja, decided within himself that he would save her from herself. He wanted to save her like he saved Sasuke. It wasn't going to be easy, but it was do-able.

Sasuke saw Naruto's blue eyes race with determination. He knew that look. Sasuke rolled his eyes. That idiot was going to take all the responsibility of saving Sakura. Didn't he know by now that he wasn't alone? Sasuke muttered, "What are we all waiting for?"

Everyone looked at him with surprise. It was one thing for Sakura to leave, but it was another for Sasuke to begin a conversation. Lee looked up from the ground and flared his fist in the air. "Yes! What are we waiting for?" He pointed at the gates and cried, "Let's g-!" His sentence was finished with a bonk to the head.

Tenten was behind him, fuming. "You can't just leave! We don't even know where to start!"

"Maybe I do."

All of Konoha 9's attention focused onto a figure wearing a straw hat. His stature was tall, lean, muscular and confident. The black cloak surrounding his body floated in the wind, picking up some dust. On the cloak was one symbol: a fan.

}{}{}{}{}{

"So," Tsunade fanned herself with one of the many stacks of papers on her desk. "She left, didn't she?" She leaned back and sighed.

Shikamaru, Shino, Kiba, and Hinata were crouching in front of the Hokage to show respect. Shikamaru nodded and solemnly added, "Yes," Shikamaru looked up and stared at the Hokage with curious eyes. "What should we do now?"

Suprisingly, Tsunade barked out a coarse laugh. The four shinobi looked up in astonishment, curious at why Tsunade was laughing at Sakura's escape.

Tsunade took a swing of her drink and chuckled. Licking her lips, she muttered, "Let the chase begin."

All of the shinobi looked at each other, confused at Tsunade's logic. They all agreed that it was the alcohol talking, not the Hokage. Tsunade slammed the bottle against the desk, shattering it into hundreds of shining glass pieces. She roared, "Find her!"

}{}{}{}{}{

**Hey guys! **

**I know you all were expected a big fight and all, but I'm saving that for the end. I don't want to rush this story. Don't be too disappointed though! Many new secrets will be revealed, just you wait! **

**I hope that this chapter didn't bore you. It is kind of boring, but I hope you all like it?...Haha**

**As always, reviews are APPRECIATED. Highly appreciated, if I might add. **

**The next chapter will reveal many new twists and plots in the story. If you haven't been in speed with my story, you might want to brush up on the past chapters. It'll help better understand the next chapter. **

**I'm sorry I updated so late! School is bugging my down…**

**Anyways, with love, **

**Mdrm812 **


	19. Memories

"_Oh, how cute!"_ _A tall women clothed in an exquisite kimono was poking at a small blue bundle in another women's arms. Her black hair swished around her as she was making faces at the clothed heap. "Who's got your nose? I do!" _

_The small bundle giggled and gurgled as she reached for the black-haired lady's face. A cry of laughter rung out in the quiet house they were sitting in. _

"_Gosh, Sukimo! She is so cute!" The lady faltered and started to pout. "I wish I had a girl." _

_The other lady laughed, ringing her melodious voice throughout the empty abode. Her red hair and pale thin arms shined prominent to the black silk kimono she had on. Her face was in the shape of a heart and a freckle dawned on the left side of her jaw. "One day, Mikoto," Sukimo glanced down at the little baby in her arms with love. "You'll have a girl." _

}{}{}{}{

_Run, kick, dodge, slice. Run, kick, dodge, slice. Run, kick, dodge, slice. _

_Strands of hair flew around her sweaty face, sticking onto her lips and nose. Her clothes were tattered and her body was covered with mud. Panting, she gripped the knife in her hands and gave a course battle cry. Pulsing off the ground, she ran at the wooden post, repeating the steps that were ingrained into her mind. Her mother told her to repeat those steps at least hundred times and she always followed orders. _

"_Hey, you twit! Come back inside! It's about to rain!" a shadowed figure called out from inside the house. _

_She stopped and looked at the house. Her eyebrow twitched and she frowned. "I'll be in." _

_The shadowed figure frowned and nodded her head. "Whatever. Just come in before it rains. I don't want to get in trouble by mom." _

}{}{}{}{

"_Where is she?" Sakura's eyes darted back and forth between her parents. Tears threated to drip out of her eyes. "Tell me. What happened?" _

_Her parents stood before her, deathly still. Pale as a ghost, her father looked up from his mourning and saw his youngest daughter yelling at him. He couldn't hear what she was saying. It was as if someone has plugged his ears shut, shunning him from his precious daughter's words. _

_He noticed how tall she had gotten even though she was only five. He also noticed how mature she was. Sakura always seemed to know what to say at the right time. She always thought one step ahead and never lagged behind. Sakura's father glanced at his wife, who was staring at the cold cruel cement floor in agony. _

_Sukimo lost her shine. The usual glitter and sparkle in her eyes was as dull as the moonlight streaming through the barred window; useless and weak. His daughter was starting to talk to her mother, struggling to find an explanation to what happened to her older brother. _

_Sakura's father writhed before he could even glance at the table next to his side. He was holding his son's ivory colored hand with all he could. As he blinked away tears, his daughter began to lose it. Sakura started to hit her mother and her father, screaming and pulling. She pushed him out of the way with such force that her father tumbled to the floor. His strong grip on his son's hand gave away. _

_Sakura ripped open the canvas cover, revealing her brother's blood covered face. Someone had ripped his eyes out and sliced his nose off. She couldn't do anything; she struggled to say something. Her only reaction to her dead brother's corpse was a retreat. She backed away from her brother and walked out of the room, calmly and quietly. _

}{}{}{}{

_The rain hit her like an infinity amount of bullets. They splattered and on her pale face, running down her chin and onto the ground. She stared at the black clouds and sighed. _

_Blood ran down her arms and face as the rain began to lick it off her skin. Her sword in her right hand, she slowly slid it in its cover and swung her bag around her shoulders. She looked behind her, watching her home twinkle with life. _

_She turned around and started to walk down the dirt path leading her out of her birth place. Her home, her happiness, her life. _

_Now, it wasn't life for her anymore. It was hell. _

}{}{}{}{

"_My condolences, Sukimo," No response was heard. "I know what it feels like to lose a son." Again, no response. With a huff, the lady that was speaking to Sukimo picked up her skirt and spun around dramatically, offended by Sukimo's lack of conversation. _

_Sakura grabbed her mother's thin hand and mumbled, "Ignore them. Their vultures; they feed off of your misery," She looked up and down her mother's malnourished figure. The black kimono she wore fit her perfectly last month but now it was loose, hanging like a drape on her mother's body. Sakura sighed. "Don't let them see your weakness." _

_Sukimo looked down at her five year old daughter with shock and confusion. Hiding behind her green eyes, she wanted to know when her daughter grew up. She wanted to know where Sakura had been, learning these wise yet cruel words. Her attention had been on her older siblings so much that she never noticed how much Sakura grew. _

_With a small smile, she squeezed Sakura's little hand. "Mm…" _

_Holding hand to hand, they swung their arms in sync. Little giggles and chuckles were heard as they were walking down the dirt road. Sakura's green eyes slightly sparkled and her mother's face actually began to lighten up. Her father's deep chuckle and smile made Sakura grin even more. _

_They were walking back from the funeral and both were surprisingly feeling better. Not completely healed, but it seemed to be that they were on the road to recovery. Their son, her brother, would always be remembered. _

_A mouse popped out of its little hole in the side of the road. It scurried along towards the now smaller family and twitched its little nose. Sakura squealed and ran towards it, spreading her arms in front of her to catch it. Quick as a dart, it dashed into the wood leaving a little trail of dust behind its thin pink tail. _

_Suddenly, a kunai darted through the air and struck the little mouse straight through the abdomen. Sakura stopped eyes wide. Blood started to leak out of the white fur, staining it and the sand underneath. _

_Everything went too fast. All she saw were blurs speeding past her as she ran back to her parents. It was an out of body experience. As she was dashing to the dirt road where she left her parents, she heard a shrill cry. She sped up, only to see her parents dead on the road. They were killed like the mouse. A single stab to the abdomen. _

_Before she could even react to anything, she was knocked out. The last thing she heard was, "Ma-"_

}{}{}{}{

Sakura's viridian eyes flew open. She shot up from her bed and grabbed her light pink hair. Slightly tugging and pulling, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force her re-occurring nightmare out of her head.

It was like it was on reply. Over and over again, she would see her lifeless brother and parents. They were dead and silent, but in her dreams, they were screaming at her. She couldn't tell if they were telling her to run or to fight.

These days, Sakura couldn't tell much of anything other than training her ass off.

It's been five years since her abandonment and Haruno Sakura hasn't regretted anything. She didn't feel any regret when she stabbed her _former_ friends in the back.

The thing was…she couldn't feel anything anymore.

It was like Madara's training sucked the emotions out of her. Sakura knew that she used to be a _very_ emotional girl; she would get upset over every little thing. She hated killing and she absolutely hated people who abandoned their friends.

How ironic.

Sakura scoffed and dragged her fingers out of her slightly damp hair. Turning on the bedpost lamp, she stumbled out of bed and glanced at her clock. 7:00 am. Great, she would have an extra two hours head start before starting her mission.

She walked toward her desk and pulled out the mission scroll Madara gave her before he left for another one of his 'adventures'. God help whoever he's torturing.

Pulling apart the scroll from its seal, she meticulously read every detail of the mission. Oh great. Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed. The mission was in Konoha. Fantastic.

Last time she got too close to Konoha, ANBU attacked her. She shrugged it off; she was probably one of the most hated criminals in Konoha.

The mission as simple: enter Konoha (of course, in a disguise), steal a couple of scrolls, and get out undetected. Simple enough. It wasn't her first time infiltrating a village. Sakura had done it plenty of times, most of which were successful. The only time she got caught was in her birthplace.

That reminded her of the moment in which Naruto and Sasuke dug through her photo albums. They found out that she wasn't from Konoha. They also found out that Sai was one of her closest childhood friends.

How stupid. She still can't believe that they went through her private belongings. No, not how stupid, how _rude_.

Sakura grabbed her cloak and weapon pouch. Attaching the pouch to her left thigh, she shrouded herself in the large dense black cloak. She also grabbed the mission scroll along with two other scrolls.

The two other scrolls were Naruto and Sasuke's profiles. Even after five years, she _still_ hasn't figured out the reason Tsunade gave them to her. Yes, to protect them from the elders, but it wasn't like there wasn't anyone else who could have guarded them. If her former sensei was smart, she would have given them to someone who was extremely strong, not her.

Sakura opened her door and undid the seal that kept the hideout hidden. She opened the stone door, only to be greeted by the sounds of crashing water and beaming sunlight. Closing her eyes, she absorbed the fresh air and cool scents of her environment. As the corner of her lip slightly rose, she returned to her thoughts.

Yes, Tsunade, if she was in any way was cautious and intelligent, would have given the scrolls to someone more qualified than her.

Well, not to the person she was five years ago.

Haruno Sakura basked in the light and smirked. Too bad. The person she was five years ago…she didn't exist anymore.


End file.
